Sins Never Die
by CodenameOne
Summary: Impossible odds. That is what the Equestrians have always overcome. With hardship comes happiness, and peace is their goal. They had always worked out differences and problems with other races. But what happens when an alien race comes along and propagates violence and war? And encourages other races to do the same? In their darkest days the Equestrians will have to stand.
1. One One: Captain Kuyaki

**Sins Never Die  
Written by CodenameOne**

_"Maybe I knew there was an alien alliance burning our worlds when I signed up. Maybe I knew that every ship had a 3 in 5 chance of being destroyed by the Covenant. Maybe I knew there was probably no chance of ever returning back home alive. Maybe I didn't give a damn about all that."_

_"But I don't think I ever knew I'd end up where I am now."  
_

* * *

**_One. One  
__Captain Kuyaki  
_**

* * *

**To:** Director of UNSC NAVSPECWAR

**From:** UNSC Captain J. Keyes. Service number 01928-19912-JK

**Subject:** UNSC _Kabato_'s mission

**Officer in Charge(OIC):** Captain Adam Kuyaki. Service number 01002-677430-AK

**Ship name/classification:** UNSC Destroyer Kabato. DES-454

**Mission statement:** CLASSIFIED

**Current time:** 1405 hours

The King has made his move. -Keyes.

**END MESSAGE  
**

* * *

Standing at the fore-front of the observation deck of the UNSC _Kabato_ was Captain Adam Kuyaki, 22 year veteran of the Human-Covenant war and distinguished combatant of the battle for Gemini 9. He was 5 feet, 11 inches tall, 190 pounds, with heterochromia; he had one blue eye and one hazel. He was a Japanese-American, born two months after his parents emigrated to the United States. They chose 'Adam' to be his name in an effort to cement their new life in the new country.

Twenty-three years later the Human-Covenant war began.

Staring down through the plexi-glass floor at the planet below Captain Kuyaki stroked his thick facial hair in wonder, knowing what was down there but still unwilling to believe it all. His ship had arrived in the system two weeks ago and they had run extensive scans on all the planets, finding a single life sign on one planet, and millions on another. The first investigation had turned up nothing, but the second one revealed the inhabitants of the planet the Captain was looking down on right now.

_The Equestrian Patriarchy, the Canine Republic, the Dragon Empire, the Crystal Empire, the Minotaur Parliament, and the Spider People of the Northern Isles made up the many races living upon the planet below_ the Captain mused, know that would have to go in his report.

Captain Kuyaki had initially not believed what he had seen when they had first landed upon the planet; a race of intelligent equines, two of which were of mythical varieties. Numerous radiation and chemical tests proved the creatures were not hallucinations, and after the initial shock and introductions the Captain and his cohorts were educated on the ponies and the other races on the planet. The entire process of meeting all the species had taken the two weeks the _Kabato_ had been in system.

Today marked the first day the Equestrians would sit down and learn about the UNSC, the human race, and the Covenant.

The doors to the observation deck slid open and in stepped one of the bridge officer's; Lieutenant Junior Grade Madison Preston, who snapped a salute which the Captain returned. "Sir, it's nearly time for our delegation with the Equestrians" the Lieutenant said.

"Understood, Lieutenant. Let's head to the hangar" Captain Kuyaki replied, joining the younger officer as they walked through the _Kabato_, the halls of the destroyer as familiar to Kuyaki as his hands.

The delegation to the Equestrians was strictly political, though a lightly-armed escort was mandated by protocol. Captain Kuyaki never went anywhere without his own sidearm, thus affording him some manner of personal protection. His favorite was the M6D magnum, though he only carried 7-round magazines on him, which fit flush with the bottom of the grip. He felt the 12-round mags stuck out too far and made the gun unwieldy.

Passing through the maintenance bays Captain Kuyaki and Lieutenant J.G. Preston reached hangar A-1, on the port-side of the ship.

Entering the hangar the Captain was greeted to the clangs of tools and the sizzle of welding arcs as various vehicles were tweaked or tightened up, the majority of the Pelican dropships squared away and the blast doors secured over them. One was out, however, which the two officers approached.

Standing outside the lowered boarding ramp, patiently waiting for the delegation, was the pilot of Pelican Victor-445, Major Michael Cromley. His Pelican the D77H-TCI model, which was the successor to the original D77-TC. Cromley's Pelican was fitted with absolutely no weapons in accordance with the peace agreement between the human ship and the Equestrians. The co-pilot and crew chief were already in the Pelican.

"Sir!" Lieutenant Cromley stated, snapping the Captain a salute, which was returned.

"The delegation is ready, let's head down to the surface" Captain Kuyaki replied, following Cromley as he stepped into his Pelican, the ramp bobbing under the weight of the humans boarding it. Taking seats closest to the doors the two officers strapped in as Lieutenant Cromley took position in the pilot's seat, raising and vacuum-sealing the Pelican and starting the engines. All personnel were ordered to leave hangar A-1 by the ship's sixth generation 'Smart' AI and the area was decompressed, allowing for the blast doors to open safely. V-445 was released by the docking clamps and became free-floating as the engines took on the weight of the vehicle.

_"Happy hunting, Captain"_ the AI joked over the communicator.

"This is no hunt, Excalibur" Kuyaki replied, his smile heard rather than seen by the AI.

Accelerating away from the _Kabato_ the Pelican turned down towards the planet, the pilot pushing the engines to their max speed. The ride down was uneventful, save for the usual jostling when they were entering the planet's atmosphere. The view from the ramp's window was limited, as always, and afforded barely any kind of sight-seeing. The Captain took in the sights mostly when they were in the city of Canterlot, which was Equestria's capital.

Reducing speed the Pelican glided above the city, the pilot heading for the airship dock. Equestria, though strangely advanced in most ways, still relied heavily on hot-air balloons and airships for flight travel for those who did not possess wings or couldn't fly far enough.

Finding an open spot Cromley eased V-445 into position and the dock-workers put the magic clamps into position, a few others extending a special bridge which allowed the humans to disembark from the lowered ramp.

"Consider this unofficial leave, Lieutenant. You and your crew are free to do as you please in the city while the delegation is going on. Be back to this spot no later than 1900 hours, understood?" Captain Kuyaki said to Cromley, who saluted and smiled, bringing his men with him as they went their own ways into Canterlot.

"Let's get moving, Lieutenant Preston" the Captain said, beginning their trek to Canterlot Tower.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Legal disclaimers: Adam Kuyaki, Madison Preston, and all related characters belong to me. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro. Halo belongs to 343 Industries and Microsoft. All other characters and intellectual properties are owned in full or in part by their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	2. One Two: Politics 101

**_One. Two  
__Politics101  
_**

* * *

The heavy wooden doors of the royal dining halls clicked close, the wood thudding together. Captain Kuyaki and Lieutenant Preston stood at the end closest to them, seeing Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Twilight sitting patiently. The long table could easily sit 20 individuals, thus making the three Equestrians look awkward with Celestia and Luna sitting together on one side.

"Welcome, Adam. Please, let you and Madison be seated" Princess Celestia said, gesturing to the two chairs set for the humans. The officers did as suggested, both sitting at attention. No plates or other foodware were set before any party present, thus leading Kuyaki to believe that no food would be served, which was fine by him. Flowers were not at the top of his favorites list.

"Welcome to the seventh human-Equestrian delegation. All parties present have been properly introduced to each other, and it's time to get down to business" Princess Twilight Sparkle stated.

"First question: what is the UNSC?" Twilight asked.

"United Nations Space Corps. The branch of the United Earth Government's military in charge of outer space. Though we are a military branch we also handle peaceful first-contact scenarios and the discovery and securement of inhabitable and uncharted worlds within the void" Captain Kuyaki explained.

"And the United Earth Government?" Twilight inquired.

"The governing body of planet Earth, and political system that governs all colonies and inhabited worlds in its sphere of influence."

"And your kind? Humanity? What is their story?"

Kuyaki sat for a moment, unanswering. He didn't know what to say in particular to that question. His species' history was a long, bloody, and storied. Rich with warfare, suffering, and atrocities. It was also rich with great alliances, happiness, and grand milestones and achievements. It was a mixed story, one that never ended or climaxed.

"That's...difficult to answer, to say the least. We have been around a VERY long time, and to tell all about our race would take hours. If you want the short of it, I can give you this: we are a peaceful race, but we are not pacifists. We can visit the most extreme of violence upon any adversary, foe, or threat to the safety of our race. At the end of the day, warfare is a science to us, and there are always breakthroughs" the Captain explained.

"Why haven't you found a cure to end it?" Twilight simply said.

"It's not that simple. We would love nothing more to end war, but there are some... "patients" out there that don't want to be "cured"..."

Silence befell the room as all present pondered warfare. The Equestrians wondered what it would be to experience war again, as the very notion had been abolished from the face of their earth for a long time. At the same time, the humans thought of what it would be like to finally abolish war from their dictionaries and minds.

"Is something wrong...?" Celestia asked after several uncomfortable moments of silence.

Captain Kuyaki adjusted his position in the seat and looked up at the Equestrian Princesses, knowing that any number of things could happen once he explained the situation.

"For the past twenty years, Princesses, we have waged a losing war against an alien alliance known as the Covenant. This group of aliens from all corners of the galaxy have swept through our outer colonies, burning them to ashes from orbit and diminishing our numbers like butter slowly melting. Despite all our weapons, advancements, ships and numbers, we are losing out to the Covenant" the Captain explained calmly.

"We need help... _Your_ help..."

* * *

It was 7 past 1800 hours, and Captain Kuyaki and Lieutenant Preston were standing next to Pelican V-445 with no way to contact the pilot. Night would be coming on soon, and Kuyaki would like to return to the _Kabato_ as soon as possible.

"It could've gone worse, right? I mean, we could've been exiled from the planet forever" Preston said, sitting on the dock next to the idle Pelican. The Captain stood with his arms crossed, and scoffed.

"Perhaps... Still, we can't afford to take 'no' as an answer. We NEED help in this war, Lieutenant. Our special projects aren't enough; we need more soldiers, period" Kuyaki declared.

"You are right, Captain..."

Boredom taking over Captain Kuyaki pulled his UNSC combat knife out and started idly picking at the blade, the ergonomic handle and weight feeling good in his hand. The edge had been expertly sharpened.

Hoofsteps in the dark caught Kuyaki's attention and he looked up. The pony was mostly in the shadows, and Adam would've thought it was a dock-worker but the presence of both wings and a horn dispelled that notion right quick.

The Princess stepped into the light revealing that it was Twilight Sparkle who, despite her best efforts, didn't look as regal or royal as the two leading Princesses.

"Princess Twilight, what brings you here?" the Captain inquired, returning his knife to its sheath, knowing that the presence of serious weapons made Equestrians nervous, especially when their operators are idly playing with them.

"Officially, I'll say it was an emergency delegation if or when I get asked about it. Personally, I want a personal visit to your ship, Adam" Twilight answered, sitting down on her haunches. The light from the sun was finally disappearing beyond the horizon beyond the Captain, making way for the moon to rise.

Normally Captain Kuyaki would deny this request immediately, however he was feeling disappointed and thought maybe showing an Equestrian a little tour of his ship would be interesting.

"Sure. Why not. One problem, I can't contact our pilots, and I have no idea where they may be at" the Captain replied, flexing his legs as they were getting sore from standing around for a few hours.

"Lieutenant Cromley and his crew? The pilots you always use? Gimme a sec..." Twilight said, teleporting away for a moment. After several seconds she teleported back with all three soldiers, who all doubled over and vomited.

"Oops... Sorry, I forgot to mention the teleportation process is very unsettling and nauseating for newcomers. You'll all be OK" the Princess said as Cromley and his crew recovered.

"...We'll talk later about that maneuver. Shore leave is over, soldiers, let's get back to the _Kabato_."

* * *

With V-445 squared away in its blast-bay all scheduled Pelican flights had ended for the night, leaving Princess Twilight stuck on the UNSC destroyer. She didn't mind, however, as she was curious to see what it was like to spend a night with the humans.

"Your ship is quite large, Adam" Twilight commented as they finished up the tour of the Kabato, which had taken up the past two hours. The Captain had showed her every last corner, and explained to her what every location and what every service was for.

The last stop was Captain Kuyaki's quarters, which was at the top of the elevator they were riding on currently. "I suppose to you it is, Princess. There are much larger vessels in the fleet, though the biggest ones are being pulled back to guard the inner colonies from the Covenant" Adam replied.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors slid open, allowing the two occupants to step out and proceed down the short hall to the single sliding door there. The name A. Kuyaki imprinted on the fog-glass. Swiping his ID card unlocked the door, upon which it slid open.

"You first, Princess" Kuyaki said, stepping aside. Twilight blushed but nodded, stepping forward and past the threshold of the door.

"Please, just call me Twilight" the Princess said, still not used to the attention she gets as a Princess. Before she had ascended only her friends would've opened a door for her.

"As you wish."

The door slid closed and Twilight Sparkle perused the room, taking in all the odds and ends the Captain had put up, seemingly for display. The bed was quite large for a room meant for a single person, though it could just look big from Twilight's perspective.

Most of the room's knick-knacks didn't interest the Alicorn, but there was one above the bed that caught her eye. It was an old rifle, securely mounted via a bracket, and the trigger-guard was covered with a lock. "What is that?" Twilight asked.

"A family heirloom. A Mosin-Nagant model 91/30 rifle. One of my ancestors fought in a conflict known to our species as the Japanese-Russian war against the Soviets. Not a well-known war, occurring only around the turn of the century several years after the Russian Revolution. It has been passed down from father to son many times, and I suspect I'll keep it for more than sentimental reasons..." the Captain trailed off.

"Fascinating" Twilight said, inspecting the old gun as best she could from a distance while Kuyaki went over to his bed and sat down, taking his deck shoes off and resting his feet. It had been a long day for him.

"Tell me, Twilight, what was the _real_ reason you wanted to come up here?" Adam asked, leaning back and propping himself up with his arms. The Princess turned around, the look on her face telling of her nervousness.

"W-what do you mean? I just wanted a tour" Twilight replied, earning a chuckle from the Captain.

"For a politician you are not a very good liar, Ms. Sparkle."

Twilight sighed and sat down on the floor, staring at the tiles between her hooves. She had gone over this a million times in her head but now that it was actually happening...nothing.

"Adam...we need your help, too..."

* * *

**Author's note: I have decided on a schedule for this story, one that's unique from my previous schedules. Every time I complete a chapter I'll post one. I recently finished chapter 6, so I'm posting this one today.**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Preston Madison, and all related characters belong to me. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. Halo belongs to 343 Industries and Microsoft. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	3. One Three: Going Nowhere

**_One. Three  
Going Nowhere  
_**

* * *

On the surface of Equestria Captain Adam Kuyaki drove an M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle with Princess Sparkle in the passenger seat, the two on the way to the Griffon capital. According to Twilight, friction between the Equestrians and Griffons had grown in recent years, and Twilight wanted the UNSC to aid in keeping diplomatic relations.

"I don't want this to become a war, Adam. Celestia and Luna don't want that, either. We're going to do everything we can to keep this from boiling over and becoming an uncontainable situation" Twilight said.

"This vehicle is quite fast" the Princess said, changing the subject.

"The M12 Warthog is known for a decent speed within the UNSC. This specialized version has a rear window and gull-wing doors on the cabin for a full-seal. The gun in the back has been removed. Basically, this is a demilitarized model" Kuyaki replied.

"Fascinating."

Captain Kuyaki knew what the Equestrians wanted, and knew what the Griffons wanted. Both of it was paradoxical. The Equestrians wanted continued peace, but also for the Griffons to stop expanding their already considerably large military. But the Griffons were taking a human proverb to heart; 'Should you seek peace, prepare for war'. The Griffons wanted the same peace, but were preparing for what seemed like armageddon with how large their army was becoming.

Of course Adam had his own opinion; let the Griffons build their army. Obviously they had a reason for it, and there was no reason for the Equestrians to weigh in on it. The Princesses had, in Kuyaki's view, a very misguided view on their world. Their entire species was frail, weak, wishing to see their whole world as one of peace, love, and affection. These were admirable desires, but they couldn't seem to see that not every race wanted to conform to these ideals. The Equestrian military was miserably out-dated compared to all other species, and all her inhabitants rode high on their ideals of "peace and tolerance".

_They see their world as one of peace, but any kind of significant threat of violence struck absolute terror in any Equestrian, even the Princesses. Fear rules Equestria, though not by design. They haven't experienced any kind of war in a very long time, and the idea of violence makes them panic_Adam thought.

This was best exemplified by the Equestrians' first reactions to the UNSC. The _Kabato_ had stayed in orbit, but two fully-armed Pelicans and two dozen armed Marines on the doorstep of Canterlot had sufficiently freaked out the entire country. The Equestrians knew guns when they saw them, and in their first impressions the UNSC had made the Equestrians think an alien race built on the ideals of conquest, domination, and violence had come to their world.

Of course, that was absolutely what humanity was all about, but that wasn't the UNSC's objective for Equestria.

_The Science of War... If the Princesses could see our history archives, they would have us thrown off the planet in seconds._

As a result of the UNSC's first impressions no significant military weapons were allowed on planet. All Warthogs and Pelicans designated for use in-atmosphere must have their weapons removed, and any UNSC soldier to be on the ground is allowed no more than his sidearm. It was an extreme demilitarization, one that most Marines were uncomfortable with. As a result, very few people went down to Equestria, and Human-Equestrian interaction had been next to none in the two weeks they had been there.

Of course, if Captain Kuyaki brought these points to the attention of any of the Princesses, including Twilight, they would immediately remove him from court. Especially Twilight.

_Either the Princesses are brilliant politicians, spinning that fear into favor from the public, or they too are slaves to their fear. I suspect it is the latter_ Adam thought.

In secret, Adam was hoping this thing with the Griffons would turn into a minor border conflict. Just enough to remind the Equestrians, especially the Princesses, that they could not live in their fairy-land of peace and love forever. That there ARE races and species out there that wish to visit extreme violence upon them, and they they'll wake up and see that ignorance is not bliss.

At the end of the day the Captain could do nothing more but play the role of politician for the Equestrians, though he was officially neutral.

_I'll see what the Griffons have to say, and make up my mind._

"Nice day out, huh?" Twilight said, the first words spoken in over ten minutes. She had been mostly quiet, but in Adam's peripheral vision he had noticed her stealing glances at his holstered M6D. Even in the demilitarized Warthog she was uncomfortable, knowing that it had been built as an instrument of war.

"I know why you're uncomfortable, and my advice is to get over it" Captain Kuyaki stated.

"I am not uncomfortable at all, thank you!" Twilight protested, indignant. And lying. The Captain scoffed.

"Whatever you say, Equestrian."

The rest of their trip to the Griffon homeland was uneventful, and silent. Twilight never stopped peeking at Adam's gun, unable to get past the fact she was sitting next to something that had possibly taken the lives of many people.

Arriving at the Griffon capital an hour later the Warthog came to a stop in the parking lot and Adam turned the engine off, leaning back in his seat and turning to face Twilight. "Want to know what I think of all this?" the human asked.

"No" Twilight said, attempting to open the door and finding it locked. She signed, and turned to the Captain. "What?"

"I think this is a pointless endeavor."

* * *

"Welcome. Now, please be seated" the leader of the Griffon Republic, Chancellor Steelbeak, said as Captain Kuyaki and Princess Twilight entered the conference room. The two arriving parties did as told.

"Now, let's get right to the chase; we want to discuss a cease in the expanding military of the Griffon Republic, but reach a solution that will please all parties" Twilight said.

"I have but one question before we begin the debate; what is the purpose of the presence of the UNSC in this conference?" Steelbeak asked.

"I am a neutral party to this issue; I am merely representing the human race and observing your two species as part of my mission to find new alien races" Captain Kuyaki answered truthfully, though it was only half of the truth.

"Fine. Now, on to the matter at hand. The Griffon Republic has stated repeatedly that the expansion of its military is of no consequence to the Equestrian Empire. We seek no quarrel with you or your land" Chancellor Steelbeak replied.

"The expansion of your military concerns and frightens all of Equestria, and is in defiance of the Demilitarization of Equus Act" Princess Twilight explained.

"These are trying times, Princess. And furthermore, the DEA is outdated by 6 years. Countless other races of Equus are expanding their militaries now that the Act has expired. For the sake of their own interests I will not disclose the species I am referring to. You Equestrians like to meddle in other races' affairs, quite honestly" the Chancellor declared.

"We are trying to keep our planet a peaceful one. We've all studied the history of this earth, and we know what kind of state it was in 1,000 years ago. We are trying to ensure it never becomes a planet of war and violence again" Twilight objected.

"By sticking your noses in everyone else's business and telling them how to run their own governments? You are meddlers, Princess, and Griffonia will have nothing of it. Our nation will cease no production of new age military weapons, and I suggest your kind catch up, for their own sake."

"Is that a threat of military action against Equestria?" Twilight inquired.

"No! We have no quarrel with you or your race; we merely wish to be prepared should any conflicts arise in the future. Times are changing, Princess, remember that. You cannot police the world forever. This is an official statement; Griffonia will not cease the expansion of its military" Steelbeak said matter-of-factly.

"Unbelievable. What is your opinion on this matter, Adam?" Twilight asked, turning to the human, who had sat silent.

"I have no opinion in this debate. Please continue on" Captain Kuyaki responded.

"If our military concerns you so much then schedule a conference to renew the DEA with the leaders of ALL races on this planet present to discuss the terms, otherwise Griffonia will not budge."

* * *

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Chancellor Steelbeak, and all related characters belong to me. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	4. One Four: The Outline

**_One. Four  
The Outline  
_**

* * *

Idly staring out the window Captain Kuyaki didn't so much as see Equus as he looked through it, sitting in silence on the bridge. There was only the sound of computer processors ticking and some beeping. The planet turned as it went along its yearly cycle. The sun and moon went through the days and nights as usual, but rather strangely Princesses Celestia and Luna had to assist in the raising and lowering of their respective celestial bodies.

The country of Equestria rotated halfway out of view and a neighboring country came into view, which Kuyaki stared at as it edged out more and more. The planet was so green and blue* that it reminded the Captain of pictures of an older Earth.

Suddenly remembering the situation down on the surface Adam leaned forward and said "Excalibur, online. I need surveillance imagery of the surface of Equus", turning the monitors on to see as the AI launched short-range unmanned satellites.

Within seven minutes the feeds came on and Kuyaki zoomed in, knowing the country he was looking at was Griffonia, the home of the Griffon Republic. Since no race native to the planet had any idea what a satellite was all their military projects and weapons were stored above ground, with very few top secret endeavors stowed away in secret bunkers. Even these could be pierced with UNSC surveillance technology.

Looking down on the military bases spread throughout the country Adam admired the Griffon's considerable might. It came absolutely nowhere near the power humanity or definitely the Covenant had, but compared to Equus's standards the Griffons were a military superpower, with the technology and means to field tanks, primitive by human standards, and other mechanized war units in addition to state-of-the-art body armor for its soldiers, fashioned and forged from the strongest steels available.

"Busy, busy, I see. I wonder just why they've really started expanding their military" Kuyaki said, watching an entire division of troops on a march. Tanks grinded the dirt beneath their treads and underground primitive military airships and other aerial projects were slaved away at.

Looking down at his holstered M6D Kuyaki thought about the evolution of military sidearm's over the generations. A sort of military prodigy Adam had studied issued weapons from the days of musket balls and percussion caps to semi-auto powerhouses. The Single Action Army, the M1911, the Makarov PM, the M9, the Desert Eagle, and on to the M6 series. And those were just the pistols. The MA5 rifle was worlds away from the Sturmgewher 44, the world's first mass-produced assault rifle. Humanity had evolved and were constantly perfecting war, and were willing to impart their knowledge on any willing to listen.

Looking back up at the land below him Adam Kuyaki leaned back and stroked his sideburns, pondering his options. The Equestrians were out; they were pacifists by nature. And Adam knew nothing about the other nations and races, but the political situation on the surface below was growing hot.

_I think the Griffons would be willing to listen to our knowledge.  
_

* * *

Captain Kuyaki turned the engine to the demilitarized Warthog off and popped the door open, stepping out before the capital hall of the Griffon republic. He was not expected by Steelbeak, but he knew the stalwart leader would be happy to see him.

Ascending the steps and proceeding through the building Kuyaki made his way to Steelbeak's office, the many guards and secretaries waving him through each checkpoint. Arriving at the double doors the two honor guards sent him through where he found Steelbeak reading a newspaper.

"Ah, Captain Adam, welcome. I was just reading about you, coincidentally enough" the Griffon leader said, setting the newspaper down where Kuyaki read the title.

_'UNSC delegate Adam Kuyaki expresses nonchalance at Griffonia's ever-expanding army'_

"Well, at least that part's true. What's the sum of the article?" Adam asked, sitting down in the chair before the Chancellor's desk. The Griffon pulled out a cigar and offered it to the Captain, who declined. He didn't smoke, and even if he did, he would never smoke what the Griffons smoke. Immediate onset of lung cancer came to his mind when he saw Griffon cigars.

"They are saying your neutrality is a sign of disdain towards continued peace, and that by remaining neutral you are encouraging the other races of this world to become paranoid military states" Steelbeak replied.

"Aaaand there goes the rational thinking. WOOSH! Out the damn window."

"Indeed. Anyway, what brings you down here, Captain?" the Chancellor said, letting out a billow of smoke from his cigar.

"The Equestrians, coincidentally enough" Kuyaki started. "Of the two races, I believe the Griffons are more up-to-date. More reasonably-thinking. More intelligent. And less naive. It is like what I told Princess Twilight; the Equestrians have a deluded mindset about them. They believe they can live in love and peace forever."

"Should a war come, I want to aide the Griffons in it. The UNSC would be able to impart unbelievable support, both physical and logistical. I have studied your army's might from orbit, and while I commend your emphasis on ground vehicles, I have noticed a deficiency in aerial support. This is the slack that the UNSC would be able to pick up" Kuyaki explained, conveniently omitting the fact that he spied on the Griffon's secret projects. "UNSC Pelicans and GA-TL1 Longsword fighter jets would be able to rain a hell that the Equestrians would be completely unable to counter or hide from. For total safety, we could strike Equestrian positions from orbit using the _Kabato_'s Archer and Hyperion missiles. And, if extreme force is necessary, both of it's Magnetic Accelerator Cannons" Adam explained.

"I would like to see a display of these weapons. IN atmosphere."

* * *

Captain Kuyaki and Steelbeak stood on the upper balcony of the capital hall, just outside Steelbeak's office. The _Kabato_ hovered some miles away, preparing to target a nearby island that was completely unoccupied by any significant kinds of life. An Archer and Hyperion missile fired and streaked into the island, blasting huge plumes of dirt into the air. The 70mm point-defense cannons following up, splitting any remaining trees into toothpicks. Finally both MAC cannons fired, completely obliterating any trace of the island. Kuyaki had been hesitant to fire the cannons on soil but the Chancellor assured him that no ill effects would come of it.

"By our lords, that was impressive" Chancellor Steelbeak declared, thoroughly astounded by the_Kabato_'s power. Just then a wing of Longsword fighters streaked over; five in a flying 'V' formation, their engines easily pushing them past Mach 1.

"VERY impressive indeed!" Steelbeak clapped, looking around the sky for the Longswords. His attention was grabbed by the _Kabato_ turning towards the capital hall, a nervous excitement in his belly. The destroyer eased forward as the Longswords came back around, splitting up. The lead came over the _Kabato_ as the two on the port and starboard sides streaked along the sides of the ship. The Longswords came back together at the nose of the vessel and screamed overhead.

"By the lords they are fast" Steelbeak exclaimed, his attention turning back to the _Kabato_ as it came to a stop. "The speed of your fighters and the power of your vessel will be unmatched by the Equestrians."

"Indeed they will" Kuyaki commented, leaning on the rail.

"Which brings me to this; the Equestrians have invited leaders of all the races of the world to a committee in which we will discuss renewal of the Demilitarization of Equus Act. They have recognized the human race as a legitimate party and have invited you as well. No doubt that the majority of races will reject the act but I want you to bring the _Kabato_ along. I WANT continued peace with their kind, but should that fail then I would like you to remind them that military expansion is the future of all races, and that aggression towards our expansion will be met with unwavering destruction" the Chancellor said.

"Sounds risky, but it may be the best course of action to ensure the continuity of your interests. When is the committee gathering?" Kuyaki asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Tomorrow."

* * *

***Reference to the Halo 4 track of the same name.**

**Legal Disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Chancellor Steelbeak, and all related characters belong to me. Twilight Sparkle and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to 343 Industries and Microsoft. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	5. One Five: Explosive Delegation

**_One. Five  
Explosive Delegation  
_**

* * *

Canterlot was a big city, but not confusing. It wasn't hard for Captain Kuyaki and Chancellor Steelbeak to find Canterlot Tower, the largest building in the city, and enter her halls. At the back of the ground floor was a massive dining hall where the committee would gather, the ceiling well over 50 feet high.

"The _Kabato_ is well outside Equestria's borders, keeping in line with the non-aggression pact we have with them, but I can have her perform an in-atmosphere slipspace jump. Dangerous, but it will work for the shock and awe effect" Kuyaki told Steelbeak, who nodded.

Entering the dining hall Kuyaki and Steelbeak were greeted by all three Equestrian princesses, as well as the Crystal Princess, Cadence, and her husband. Also present was the Minotaur emperor, the Canine President, the Spider God, and the High Lord of the Dragons.

"Welcome, leaders of Equestria's provinces, states and foreign representatives. Please, let's be seated and begin" Princess Celestia stated, sitting at the head of the large table. All leaders did as instructed, though the dragon had already been sitting. He was a good 30 feet tall, with black scales and a light brown underbelly. His body was wrapped in ornate dress armor, the shoulder pauldrons spiked and the helmet sporting a cleft in the middle, covering the front of his mouth, the entire ensemble a fiery orange.

It reminded Kuyaki of the ornate armor Covenant Elites wore.

"Today's agenda covers the Demilitarization of Equus Act and our concerns over several nations expanding their militaries" Princess Twilight declared, looking over her notes. "Now, we have discussed this before with Chancellor Steelbeak, but now we will say it to all races it concerns; we are staunchly opposed to military expansionism."

"What are your reasons for this?" the Minotaur emperor asked, his race obviously being one of the ones investing in new military technology.

"Large militaries require heavy funding, and competing for the largest military and newest tech breeds unwarranted tension and friction between the races of the world as everyone fights for the most power" Twilight answered.

"Do you have evidence to support these claims?" the Canine President stated, gesturing his hand out as if motioning for the Princesses to hand something over.

"The proof is in the proverbial pudding! Since the Griffons have expanded their military our relations have grown tense!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Hmmph! That sounds like it's YOUR problem, not ours. To me, that sounds like you WANT to breed and seek out tension with the races of the world. You CAN maintain peace with a nation that has a strong military" the Minotaur emperor stated.

"What?! That's an oxymoron. 'Peace' and 'military' do not go together" Twilight said.

"Hah! Wow, this is unbelievable. Are you that fundamentally paranoid of strong militaries? Are you so actively scared of anything deadlier than a sword? I can see and smell it; you're scared beyond any rational thinking of military expansionism" the Minotaur emperor replied.

"We see no reason for any race to invest in military spending since there has been no war in hundreds of years and no new threats have arisen!" Twilight said.

"This bickering is pointless! You should all vote and be done with it!" Captain Kuyaki piped up, folding his arms over his chest.

"Agreed!" all parties declared. The papers were slid out to each leader, including Kuyaki, with a simple 'yes' or 'no' checkbox to the question at the top; 'should the DEA be renewed?". Captain Kuyaki took a quill from the cup next to him and scratched out the 'no' box.

When the voting was all said and done the papers were handed back to Princess Celestia, who looked them over in private, sighing. "The vote comes to 4 'no', 3 'yes'. The DEA remains expired, and all races of the world are free to expand their militaries" Celestia declared.

"Unbelievable!" Twilight exploded, slamming her hoof on the table. "We'll all be constantly clawing at each other's throats within a decade, psychotically justifying violent wars, because all of you are so intent on building empires and armies! I bet within five years we'll ALL be embroiled in war!"

"You know, I think if anyone present here is paranoid it is YOU, Princess Twilight!" Chancellor Steelbeak exclaimed. "Why do you so adamantly believe that strong militaries spark massive wars? We maintain militaries to deter any would-be enemies from trying to take from us our way of life! We all have armies, even you. It is just time to update and expand them all."

"I do not agree with that! I believe we should abolish all forms of military in favor of strong peace. What is the point of having an army if you have no enemies?!" Twilight demanded.

"Because you DO have enemies" Kuyaki announced, leaning forward. "We ALL have enemies; someone, somewhere out there, will ALWAYS want to destroy you and everything you stand for. It is happening to my kind as we speak! An alien alliance billions strong are burning their way through the stars, and if they haven't found your planet yet then they surely will! And when they do, if you had no military you would be completely HELPLESS to stop them" the Captain explained.

"I'm sure we could establish peace with your 'Covenant'" Twilight spat.

"Don't you get it? There IS NO peace with the Covenant. The only kind of 'peace' you maintain with the Covenant is if you JOIN the Covenant. You only have two choices with them; join their empire and survive, or resist and be destroyed! And when you join them your culture, your way of life, your beliefs, any and ALL religions are abolished and destroyed and replaced with the Covenant's! And if you resist... Have you ever seen a LIVING being MELT into a puddle of bone paste and blood before your very eyes?! What the Covenant Empire is capable of doing with even the most basic of their technologies is extreme, and without a significant military you would be powerless to stop them."

"Well we're not fighting the Covenant, and they haven't found us, so we're not worried about them" Twilight responded.

"Exactly! With a strong military you are prepared for any future enemy" Adam stated.

"I still don't see the point in wasting money on war when you are at peace. I want to schedule further conferences over the DEA" Twilight demanded.

"There will be no such conferences anymore. You lost, Princess. Military expansion WILL continue" Steelbeak replied, standing from his seat.

"UGGHH! I can not believe this!" Twilight exclaimed, well and truly pissed now.

"Calm yourself, Twilight. This is the way things are now" Celestia stated, putting a hoof on her prodigy. Captain Kuyaki stood, preparing to leave as well.

"You're war mongerers, all of you who voted against the DEA" Twilight commented.

"Military expansionism is the future! The future to ensure the future. Should you continue to act with aggression towards our expansionism we will react accordingly. In fact, why don't we SHOW you the might of our alliance?" Steelbeak declared, turning to Kuyaki and nodding.

"UNSC _Kabato_; put on the light show" Adam ordered over the radio, not bothering with Excalibur's reply. He put the radio back in his pocket and walked over to the nearest window. "Watch, Princesses. Let us SHOW you a real military."

All four of the Equestrian Princesses and the other leaders turned to the massive windows and watched as the UNSC _Kabato_ warped into existence over Ponyville, barrelling down on Canterlot. The destroyer, massive compared to the pony cities, loomed like a beacon of war. "THIS is the culmination of human warfare. A vehicle capable of waging war from space itself! And it's not even our biggest one" Kuyaki announced.

Almost like clockwork both barrels of the _Kabato_'s MAC cannons thundered, spitting out two 1,000 ton slugs of titanium at five times the speed of sound, the searing streaks of white almost unseen against the blue of the daytime sky. Three dozen Longsword fighters came out of the ship and screamed over Canterlot, rattling the windows of the hall.

"The power of the UNSC and the knowledge of the Griffon Republic will make for Equus's strongest military, and any who would join us would be very wise to do so" Chancellor Steelbeak announced as chaos erupted in the streets below, the panicked screams heard from all the way up in the tower.

"A strong military is the lifeblood of any and all races of the universe. The means to protect their citizens, and destroy their enemies. Peace is an impossible concept" Adam stated.

"Such an act of war will not go untolerated!" Princess Luna bellowed as the Longswords began to circle around Canterlot like sharks. The Dragon lord lowered to all fours and growled at the human and his Griffon compatriot. Kuyaki put his hand on the butt of his M6D but didn't draw it.

"_Kabato_, show the Equestrians more power. Flex your wings" Kuyaki commanded, not bothering to watch as the destroyer fired one of its MAC cannons, the round thundering directly over Canterlot and landing harmlessly in a nearby lake.

"Pursue ANY kind of war against the Griffons, and the might of the UNSC will come to bear upon you, Princesses."

The Dragon Lord snorted and black smoke billowed out of his nostrils but he didn't move as he watched Kuyaki and Steelbeak exit the dining hall, leaving the Equestrians and Dragons pissed, the Spiders unsure of their allegiance, and the others sure of the future.

The Equestrians would be going to war.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Chancellor Steelbeak, and all related characters belong to me. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	6. One Six: Divine Wind

**_One. Six  
Divine Wind_**

_'WAR! For the first time in hundreds of years the nation of Equestria will be going to war. With multiple acts of aggression over Canterlot the human-Griffon alliance has shown that they want to conquer Equestria and destroy our peaceful way of life!'  
_

* * *

Alarm klaxons blared in the halls of the UNSC _Kabato_ as it hovered over the Sea of Horns, fifteen miles from the edge of Equestria. A Forward Operating Base had already been established on the surface, and the Marines posted there reported Equestrian aircraft approaching.

The engines of the destroyer roared to life and it began to accelerate, turning as it did and quickly gliding into place over FOB Dawnguard, the base established on the ground. Ironically named to both spite the elite guard that protected Princess Celestia and to be the base that would be the guardian of the dawn of a new era. Captain Kuyaki stood on the bridge, watching as Equestrian airships quite slowly approached.

"Blimps? HAH! What a joke..." Kuyaki commented as the _Kabato_ settled into position, the nose staring down the airships. Knowing the Equestrians completely disallowed guns on their land Kuyaki had to assume the airships were loaded with soldiers meant to assault the FOB or board the Kabato, the latter an act literally impossible for the Equestrians to perform with spears and swords.

"Sir, why are we not firing? They are well within range!" the weapons officer announced, turning in his seat.

"They are in range, but they are not in my killzone. Hold for now, but arm the point-defense cannons. Don't bother with the missiles or MACs" the Captain ordered, patiently waiting for the sluggish Equestrians to come closer.

When the airships were five miles out from Dawnguard and the _Kabato_ they began to descend, giving Kuyaki the signal. Their force was six airships, filled to the brim for a total of 1,000 soldiers or thereabouts.

"FIRE!" Kuyaki bellowed, listening to the dull _thumps_ as the 70mm cannons thundered. 12 shots and the airships were fireballs on the ground.

"Hmph, poor showing on their part" Kuyaki said, sitting in his command chair. The UNSC could probably wage the entire war from right where they were. All they would have to do would be to let the Equestrians keep sending airships at them.

_Easiest and least-violent war ever; just sit in a chair. It's like a video game!_

"Captain, recon drones are showing Equestrian mobilization beyond the nearby mountain range" the operations officer declared. "They're on the move towards the FOB."

"Scatter several Pelicans; full combat load with 12 Marines each" Kuyaki immediately commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

The pilots of V-445 rode on the air behind the lead Pelican, T-615. Five Pelicans proceeded towards the mountain range of Broken Horn, which was where the first Unicorns landed when they travelled from Unicornicopia. The mountain range had a small pointed spire cracked in half that looked like a Unicorn horn, which was its namesake.

As they neared the mountains Major Cromley flipped the 'ready' light to green, telling the Marines to prepare themselves. Stamping the event in his flight chronicle the pilot kept the Pelican steady as they got ever closer.

The war had only been on for a day, but the UNSC got a nice start today. And with the primitive technology the Equestrians had Cromley personally suspected the war would be over very quickly.

Looking up Cromley saw that they were about to pass over the mountains, wondering what kind of force the Equestrians had that the drones had seen. It was likely big, but weak. Numbers were formidable, but the weapons in their hands mattered too.

"Marines, prepare to-"

A massive dragon landed on top of T-615, his scales black as night. On his shoulders and head was an armor fiery orange in color, his arrival cutting the Major off. The dragon stomped over to the cockpit and craned his neck down, opening his mouth and unleashing a jet of flame at the cockpit, blasting it open immediately and flooding the entire inside of the vehicle with flames.

Taking to the skies with a flap of his mighty wings the dragon came right for V-445 as T-615 dipped down to the right, bleeding smoke from every crack and orifice before crashing into the mountains.

Major Cromley jerked the stick to the left, banking the Pelican away as the dragon opened his mouth, spewing more fire which singed the side of the Pelican. Cromley looked on the rear camera feed and saw the dragon rear back, braking himself as the third Pelican in the line continued on its course. The dragon literally pushed the giant dropship away and dove down and away, flapping his wings and coming around to the Pelican in the very back, hanging off the magnetic overhang and tearing the rear thrusters off with slaps of his hands, causing the vehicle to lose control.

"Good God, man. We need to get the Marines on the ground now!" Cromley declared, lowering the Pelican down as the dragon pursued the remaining three Pelicans, spewing fire all the way.

Cromley armed the 40mm chin gun attached to his Pelican and slaved the gun to his helmet, meaning it would follow his gaze. The Major turned his head to follow the dragon and opened fire, the heavy slugs arcing through the sky. The dragon banked left and presented his back to the Major, giving him a large target to shoot. Much to Cromley's surprise, however, the rounds ricocheted and glanced off the dragon's thick scales.

"Suck high explosive, bastard" Cromley growled, unleashing two Anvil-II missiles on the dragon, rockets that the beast literally smacked away. The dragon turned to V-445 and swooped in, opening its maw and unleashing its jet of flame. It was similar to the super-heated plasma utilized by the Covenant in that it melted anything it touched.

Cromley banked right towards the dragon, turning the Pelican in a barrel roll. The left wing smacked the beast in the head and V-445 rocketed down to the landing zone, Cromley firing the bottom thrusters to slow the Pelican's descent. The dragon was still conscious and in the fight, but was recovering from the hit.

The remaining Pelicans joined V-445 and they all dropped their ramps, allowing the Marines to pour out. Drained of their soldiers the Pelicans took off as the dragon screamed overhead.

* * *

Captain Kuyaki stood and watched as the same massive dragon from the delegation harassed the Pelicans tasked with delivering Marines to the Equestrians' position behind the mountain, unable to fire any weapons on the beast without risking hitting the Pelicans. Two birds fell before the dragon retreated.

"Excalibur, add the passengers and crew of those Pelicans to the KIA list" Adam said. "And pull up any info on that dragon you can find."

"Sir, I will need SOME kind of connection to Equestria's databases, and it seems in their infinite wisdom they have retained an invincibility to even our most advanced decryption worms" the AI said.

"They live in fucking wooden huts and marble castles. How are they holding you back?! Show me one of their datastores" the Captain demanded, sitting in his chair and looking at the AI holotank.

A hologram of a book appeared.

"Goddamn primitives..." the Captain muttered.

"Indeed, sir. Should you want more info on the Equestrians we will need to literally pry it from their shelves."

Looking down on Equestria Kuyaki stared at the still burning wrecks of the airships sent to engage them, wondering if he should spare some Pelicans from Dawnguard to reinforce the Marines at Broken Horn. He thought against it, though; the Marines would be able to handle the Equestrians.

_But the dragon..._

"Excalibur, scramble Longsword squadron T-51. Target; giant black dragon over Broken Horn" Captain Kuyaki ordered, knowing the beast was still down there. The AI did as instructed and Adam stood, heading over to the viewport. The Longswords were already out the door and on their way to the mountains, keeping their eyes and instruments open for signs of the dragon.

"Excalibur, think the Griffons could tell us anything about that dragon?" Adam asked.

"I'm sure they would know more than us, sir."

* * *

"Zee mirak, aal do uin* De'mah" the Dragon Lord Aldurmaax whispered as he watched the human flightboats return to the master vessel, leaving a batch of the invaders on the ground near the Equestrian garrison. The garrison was real, and the Equestrians there knew the humans were coming, but Aldurmaax intended to stop them.

'Hih lar oto Div' was Aldurmaax's title in Dragon tongue. 'High Lord of the Dragons', dedicated to leading his people in the climactic Age of Height. An age that had drawn to a close with the arrival of humanity and the UNSC. Aldurmaax recognized the humans as a ferocious and vicious race, with the power to rain destruction on even the mightiest of fortresses. However, the Dragons, unwaveringly and fiercely loyal to the Equestrians since the beginning of the Princesses' reign, would be there to drive them back at the dawn of the war and the new age; the Age of Deceit.

The Equestrians considered the Dragons their closest friends, and Aldurmaax felt the same way. There were outliers, there always would be, but the might and bulk of the Dragons would serve the Equestrians forever. They would be priceless allies to the Equestrians in the war against the human invaders. Any and all dragons in the war against humanity would fiercely fight to the death to protect the Equestrians.

The humans below began to enter a narrow pass to the Equestrian garrison and Aldurmaax made his move, taking to the free skies with his wings and barreling down on the humans. There was a place sacred to all Dragons, one that could never be taken from them; the sky. The access-anywhere shrine to worship the High Lord or give praise to the Dragon God, De'mah Tokam.

_May my wings be true as I soar upon the winds of your breath to fulfill the will of our friends and allies who so boldly stand before the invaders of our world. May your breath guide me to the heart of the humans below as I aim to end their lives in a single snuff. May the divine wind of your lungs deliver unto these invaders unmatched fury_ Aldurmaax thought as he streaked through the sky, opening his maw as he neared the humans.

Reciting an instinctual spell Aldurmaax unleashed from his maw a jet of flame unto the humans, obliterating the group at the rear in a single blast. The humans in the front turned and opened fire with their weapons, the weak and puny rounds pinging off Aldurmaax's scales.

"REE-MAAH! TREY ME'TAH TO MONTA!" Aldurmaax bellowed, his voice so loud it slammed the eardrums of the humans below and echoed all the way to their master ship. He declared to the humans that they would be driven back to the stars from where they came.

As he banked around Aldurmaax prepared to barrel down on the second group of humans when he was fired upon by massive bullets, causing him to turn and see human fliers coming to attack him. The aircraft streaked by with such speed as to cause Aldurmaax mild turbulence.

_God above do their fliers move fast._

The fliers banked and came back around towards Aldurmaax, firing away. Their rounds similar to the ones fired upon him by the flightboats from earlier. These fliers were dangerous to Aldurmaax, but he knew he could out-do them.

Letting gravity take control for a second Aldurmaax dropped away and the fliers rocketed by, spreading his wings and soaring up. Just as expected the fliers banked around and came at him again, Aldurmaax roaring defiantly. Picking his target the dragon unleashed his flame, blocking a significant portion of the pilot's view and diving away. As planned the distracted flier banked to his left as his companion went to his right, the two slamming together and exploding.

Falling towards the ground Aldurmaax blasted the remaining humans there, leaving behind no more than ash and char.

The humans knew then they would not be able to steamroll over the Equestrians.

* * *

***This is a reference to Alduin of Skyrim fame.**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Chancellor Steelbeak, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	7. One Seven: Total War

**_One. Seven  
__Total War  
_**

* * *

"FIRE!" Captain Kuyaki ordered, the MAC cannons thundering on the Equestrian base behind Broken Horn, two Hyperion missiles finishing up what the MAC rounds missed. With the Equestrians near the UNSC ground base destroyed the _Kabato_ was free to move on towards the next target, which was the city of Manehattan, which was a name disturbingly close to Earth's Manhattan.

The destroyer lowered closer to the ground and Excalibur alerted the Marines to prepare for landfall. Pelicans were loaded, Longswords were launched, and the Equestrians in the streets were panicking. Soldiers of the Royal Guard were waiting, though they too were likely afraid of humanity's power.

The _Kabato_ settled to a stop and two dozen Archer missiles were fired into Manehattan, tearing the city asunder and softening it for human invasion. Equestrian military positions were easily spotted and blasted as well.

The Pelicans left the bays and headed straight for the city, Unicorn soldiers in the streets firing powerful magic at the dropships. Statistically speaking some Pelicans would get hit, and some did, but the offensive spells had little more of an effect than scorching the paint of the dropships they hit.

The dropships touched down and Marines poured out, their boots hitting the concrete as they rushed for cover. The skies were already darkening from the black smoke of fires raging in the city.

"You move fast or you die! Keep alert Marines; their swords and spells CAN hurt the unwary!" the Marine Master Sergeant declared, keeping his BR55 rifle shouldered firmly as the assault got underway. Equestrians ahead in the street stood waiting with their swords. Unicorns kept them gripped in their magic, but the earthen kind had fingered gauntlets secured to their hooves to adequately hold onto the bladed weapons.

"Engage!" the Master Sergeant ordered, taking aim with his battle rifle and opening fire, his Marines doing the same. The Equestrians scrambled to charge the humans, most of their numbers cut down immediately.

Practiced discipline saw the pony soldiers fall and the Marines unscathed, the humans reloading and proceeding down the street. The Marines had been ordered to secure and occupy Manehattan, the first city in Equestria, which would send a clear and bold message to the Equestrian leadership.

The _Kabato_ hovered overhead, policing the relatively clear skies and delivering strikes upon large Equestian ground positions. The dual-strike was devastating to the extremely under-equipped ponies, and the Marines were already starting to sweep through the streets.

"Sir, Dragons have been spotted on the move towards Manehattan" Excalibur piped up, his avatar appearing on the plinth next to Kuyaki's chair. True to his word Adam began to see the faint outlines of the beasts in the distance.

"Keep the point-defense cannons and the Archers armed. Let's make sure the only thing the Marines have to worry about are swords and arrows" the Captain declared.

The external speakers were on and the entire bridge crew heard the lead Dragon shout, his voice carrying for miles. "Mur untamaiu faar wol draov lan onfaker reat!"

"What did he say, Excalibur?" Adam asked.

"One moment, sir. I'm checking with the books that Steelbeak gave us... 'Our unrelenting force will drive the invaders back' were his exact words" the AI answered happily.

"I'll show them unrelenting force. Fire the Archers! Lock one on each Dragon!" Adam ordered, watching the missiles streak away from the _Kabato_ and bank off to chase their targets. Of the seven Dragons that came only three were hit, their bodies blown open and remains falling to the streets below.

"Excalibur, you got control of the 70mm's. Keep those Dragons entertained" Adam stated, watching the battles play out.

"Sir, the Griffons have entered the city from the North. They've cut off any kind of retreat from the Equestrians" the communications officer announced.

"Good. Let them know that this is an extermination. All Equestrian military personnel are to be killed on sight. Let the civilians live unless they attempt to attack."

A thud reverberated through the walls of the bridge, the monitors shaking a bit from the force. More heavy thuds like footsteps sounded through the roof of the bridge and the personnel looked up.

"Excalibur, turn the cameras on."

The AI silently did as told and the main feed came on, half the view blocked by blackness. It was as if some large bird had landed on the roof of the bridge. "What the fuck is this? Is that a talon?" Adam questioned, trying to make out individual aspects of the video feed he was given.

The claw moved and the camera was knocked back, the lens catching the glimpse of a pointed black tail moving away, right towards the viewport.

Craning his neck down Adam and the rest of the crew saw the black dragon, the High Lord Aldurmaax, clambering into position in front of the bridge viewport, hanging down from the roof of the room separate from most of the ship. The mighty dragon opened his maw and unleashed a jet of flame, scorching and melting the thick glass of the viewport. The heavy glass and plexi-glass mix bubbled like boiling water but didn't give way.

Seeing his flame breath didn't work Aldurmaax raised his free hand and slammed on the weakened glass palm-open, his claws digging in the softened glass and cracking what was still hardened. Another open slap on the window caved and buckled it, but still it did not give. Putting in one final effort Aldurmaax closed his fist and cocked his arm back, driving it straight through the glass and shattering a hole as big as a Warthog in the viewport.

Recognizing Captain Kuyaki Aldurmaax pulled his head back and opened his mouth, preparing to flood the contained room with fire. His maw wide and open Adam pulled his M6D and opened fire, seven .50 caliber rounds pocking the dragon's mouth and tongue. His head jerked from the heavy rounds, interrupting his fire spell.

Adam expended the magazine and reloaded, stepping beyond the command console towards the mighty beast and continuing to fire. Aldurmaax closed his mouth and the remaining bullets pinged off his hide and helmet, the dragon taking to the skies and circling around, opening his mouth and unleashing fire as he dove for the open wound on the bridge.

"EXCALIBUR! BLAST SHIELDS!" Kuyaki commanded, the heavy steel sliding into place just as Aldurmaax's fire tested its heat-resistance.

"Replace forward view with camera feed" the Captain said, holstering his sidearm as he took his seat again. A video feed was projected onto the closed blast shield, allowing them all to see once more.

"Goddamn psycho came straight for the bridge. He's quite ferocious, it seems" Adam exclaimed, putting one leg over the other. He saw Aldurmaax flying off with his compatriots.

"Open fire with the 70mm's, Excalibur. Do your best to put them all down."

The chorus of heavy gunfire was dulled by the thick hull, sounding like big drums being beat by a hundred tribesmen. The AI kept an eye on all angles of the ship to make sure no other Dragons snuck up on them like Aldurmaax did.

Checking up on the ground status Adam was pleased to learn that the Marines and Griffons were pinching the Equestrians hard between them, and that civilian casualties had been extremely low. The ground-pounders almost had the situation under control down there, and now it was just up to the_Kabato_ to clear the skies.

Missiles and 70mm bullets clogged the skies and harassed the Dragons who had become occupied with attempting to avoid these attacks. It didn't take long for three more to fall, leaving just Aldurmaax and one other Dragon, both of which quickly retreated.

"Good work, Excalibur. Make sure the Marines and Griffons on the ground get the city on lockdown and spare any reinforcements they need. We're going to hold on to Manehattan until Equestrian military presence is null and void down there" Kuyaki stated.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

"Tell me about the dragon leader, High Lord Aldurmaax" Adam asked Steelbeak as they sat on the bridge of the _Kabato_, the two drinking a special blend of Griffon coffee. Adam thought it'd be perfect for UNSC soldiers to stay awake since it was almost like a pure shot of energy in your bloodstream.

"He holds the highest title a dragon can hold in their hierarchy. And he's a zealous believer in the dragon religion" the Griffon Chancellor explained. "He leads the dragons with courage and honor, and enforces the idea that all dragons should be willing to sacrifice their souls to their God, De'mah Tokam."

"Who exactly is their God?" Adam inquired, folding his arms over his chest.

"Only the dragons know. All the other races have gleaned is that their God, a being known as De'mah Tokam, descended from the heavens thousands upon thousands of years ago and led the dragons to victory during a cripplingly deadly war against the Griffon Empire. We lost, and were reformed into the Republic we are now. The dragons picked a fight with the Equestrians, and their God was killed. After that the Dragons became fiercely loyal to the ponies" Steelbeak answered.

"Fascinating. Looks like the Dragons take sides with those who best them in war. So their God, De'mah, was an actual living being?"

"Most Gods of the races of this planet were. The Equestrian Princesses are Goddesses, still breathing and leading their subjects. They're worshipped heavily by most of ponykind. The God of the Griffons was actually the first of our kind. She was a fierce lioness, if the books are to be believed. Many a bird wanted to bed her, but she wouldn't allow any. Finally one stole her heart, and out came the first Griffon."

"Only on Equus would I find a story of interspecies romance believable" Kuyaki chuckled.

"HAH! Indeed!" Steelbeak exclaimed, taking a drink of his coffee. "So! How goes our campaign against the Equestrians?"

Adam nodded and leaned back. "Now, Manehattan is under our control. We're bowling over the Equestrians, but the dragons are picking up the slack. We can absolutely crush ground forces, but I have to take the _Kabato_ to every battle to make sure the dragons don't smash my men to pieces. Aldurmaax was even so bold, or foolhardy, to directly attack my ship. He melted the front viewport open for God's sake!" the Captain explained.

"I noticed that. We can forge glass that can withstand the intense heat of a dragon's fire breath if you'd like" Steelbeak commented.

"Good. We're gonna need it. So now that Manehattan's under our control we need to move on the next Equestrian city. Excalibur, what's the next closest pony city?" Adam inquired.

"Cloudsdale, sir. A floating city of clouds."

"What the- Fine, put us on a course for it."

* * *

Aldurmaax braked himself as he approached high Canterlot Tower, flapping his wings to slow his speed. The massive dragon perched himself on the balcony outside Princess Celestia's room, craning his neck to look in. The Goddess of the sun had awoken at the racket Aldurmaax had made, and was slowly walking over to the open door.

"What is it?" Celestia asked.

"Manehattan has fallen, and the humans are assuredly making a move on the next city in their path. Several of my wing-kin have fallen on this day, but I damaged the human ship" the High Lord explained.

Celestia sighed and sat down on her haunches, pondering her situation and options. "Well, there's not much we can do except continue to stand against humanity's onslaught."

"And should they make it all the way to Canterlot?" Aldurmaax suggested.

"We will continue to stand. Shining Armor and the Dawnguard can keep my family safe, and the rest of the army will stand valiantly."

"My dragons will continue to stand with honor and courage. Even should we fail in the end, we will have stood with bravery against the inexorable destruction. Divine help us, though" Aldurmaax declared, looking to the sky. De'mah may be long gone, but Aldurmaax firmly believed he would help them someday.

One way, or another, he would help them.

* * *

**ALERT! ALERT! CALLING ALL ARTISTS! I NEED A COVER FOR THIS STORY. SHOULD YOU POSSESS THE SKILL TO MAKE DECENT ART AND WANT TO HELP LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS AND I'LL PM YOU DESCRIBING WHAT I WANT. FREE ART ONLY(I'M A POOR BASTARD).**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Chancellor Steelbeak, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	8. One Eight: Bogged Down

**Foreword: CFone your criticism and input are well appreciated. Had you not posted that review as a guest I would've replied to it. Thanks for writing some words of your own about this story. As for everyone else; if you've got questions I can't answer them unless you have an account(because that's how Fanfiction works). If you want your questions answered then you gotta have an account and be signed in.  
**

* * *

**_One. Eight  
_****_Bogged Down_**

* * *

Eyes closed and arms held out level at his sides Captain Kuyaki stood in his private quarters, standing stock still, looking like a human "T". He breathed slowly and deeply, his mind clear of all. Light began to glow on his face and he raised his arms slowly, keeping them outstretched to the sides as he did so. His arms bent at the elbows and he turned his wrists, bringing his fingers together at the tips in sync with a _ding_ from the holo-screen in front of him.

_May your light shine upon and bring warmth and life to Earth and all her colonies, my radiant sun._

Dropping his arms and opening his eyes Captain Kuyaki turned off the digital representation of Sol, Earth's sun, which was synced to Earth's calendar and Japan's time-zone. The sun had just risen on the island nation, bringing another day to her people.

When possible, the times of sunrise were Adam's times to be alone as he performed the morning ritual to pay homage to the very body that granted life upon his home planet. He had long been a worshipper of the sun; since his adolescence, really.

"Right. Let's get to work" the Captain said, leaving his quarters and heading for the elevator that would take him to the bridge. He never asked the sun for help on days of battle, believing the heavenly body was not a God to help her subjects any more than she already did.

Whilst riding the elevator Adam idly tapped his foot, doing it out of boredom more than anything else. It was another day, another battle. Cloudsdale, as the Equestrians had named it, was only 40 miles out and the _Kabato_ was steadily advancing.

Adam had to wonder about the ramifications behind a city of clouds and how it would be assaulted. Ground troops could not be put on it, and all missiles would pass right through it. They would have to use the 70mm's and shoot carefully. Maybe remote detonation for the rockets.

The elevator came to a stop and the Captain walked out, entering the bridge to the sight of his subordinates saluting. He returned the gesture and sat in the command chair, Excalibur appearing next to him.

"Arm the 70mm's, nothing else. Watch the skies for Dragons, too" Adam declared, staring out the newly-replaced viewport. Every pane of glass had been removed and replaced with the Griffons' dragon-resistant tempering.

As they got closer to the cloud city and it began to take shape in their eyes the dragons appeared like clockwork, taking off from deep within the clouds.

"FIRE!" Adam bellowed, the 70mm's thundering as the mythical beasts approached, dozens swarming the _Kabato_. There had to be over 20 of the monsters attacking as they covered the evacuation of Cloudsdale.

"Excalibur, fire a missile into the city. Hyperion. You've got the trigger" the Captain stated, watching the massive missile streak away from the destroyer and toward its target. In an amazing bout of heroic stupidity one dragon dove straight for the massive rocket, slamming into its nuclear warhead and triggering the detonation.

"Goddamn fanatics! Arm and fire Archers!"

The smaller missiles were unleashed, burning through the mid-day sky. Again, dragons swooped down and deliberately flew into the path of the rockets, even if it meant they would be killed. Their other brethren continued to attack the _Kabato_, firing jets of flame on her hull and melting holes in the titanium.

"See if they deflect this blow" Adam growled, turning the key himself for MAC tube number one. A relatively small 100 ton slug lanced out at 7 times the speed of light and speared through the soft city, ripping it in half. The MAC round continued on its course until it hit a mountain range, toppling a peak and causing an avalanche.

The dragons were pissed.

"Yeah you don't like that, HUH?! HUH you little fucks!? Excalibur, lock Archers on all dragons and keep up the 70mm pressure" Captain Kuyaki declared.

The dragons were starting to fall, their numbers dwindling from the constant onslaught of human weaponry. Then, like it was his scheduled appearance, Aldurmaax arrived on the scene, his fiery-orange armor reflecting the light from the sun.

"Oh great... It's him. Target the High Lord, the one-"

Adam was cut off by Aldurmaax barreling right through the barrage of missiles and guns and landed on the hull of the _Kabato_, blasting flame at the viewport, which had little effect. Seeing he wouldn't be able to directly attack the bridge crew Aldurmaax craned his neck down and unleashed flame on the hull, slowly melting a large hole open.

"Shake him off!" Adam yelled, the _Kabato_ jerking to the right 180 degrees until it was upside-down, forcing the High Lord to dive off and take to the skies. The _Kabato_ righted itself, Excalibur resuming his fire on the beasts still around.

Aldurmaax swooped far until he was over Cloudsale, turning back for the human ship and coming at it nose-first. Excalibur fired the nose cannons on him, the dragon turning, ducking, diving and jerking to avoid the spray of bullets. Tucking his wings against his body Aldurmaax came flying in like a missile, landing on the hull of the _Kabato_ once again and skidding across the length of the bow, his claws throwing up sparks as they tried to brake.

Coming to a stop Aldurmaax got to his feet and stalked for the bridge once again, standing up on his hind legs and bracing his left hand on the roof to the bridge as he punched the glass with his fist. The glass, tempered to hold back even the mightiest of dragons, started to crack only after a few hits. From behind Aldurmaax Adam saw the other dragons breaking through the line and landing on the_Kabato_, punishing her hull and smashing turrets where they could.

"Goddamn it all to hell. Get us out of here, Excalibur. Sling us right through Cloudsdale on the way" Captain Kuyaki ordered. The destroyer accelerated and most of the dragons jumped to the air. Aldurmaax stayed, however, literally snapping at the glass and hull of the ship with his powerful jaws. With a jar experienced only by the Equestrians the UNSC _Kabato_ smashed through the cloud city, blasting through as if it didn't exist. When it had breached the other side Cloudsdale was an absolute wreck but still standing, and Aldurmaax was still latched onto the destroyer.

As the _Kabato_ turned back the way it came Aldurmaax began to retreat, snaking back from the viewport. He rammed his head into it once for one last try before giving up, growling at Adam through the barrier before taking to the skies, heading back to Cloudsdale.

"Goddamn fanatics" Adam lamented, looking down on the damage to his ship.

* * *

Aldurmaax landed on the mountain range near Cloudsdale, where the wing-kin that aid helped him in the defense of the sky-city were waiting his return. Rock turned to gravel under his mighty claws, digging into the stone. Silently looking over his wing-kin Aldurmaax roared fire breath into the air, the dragons below returning the ancient gesture of victory celebration.

"The Princesses will be happy to hear our victory over the human invaders! Let them never forget the fury of a dragon! We will drive them back to the stars or to their graves; it will be the ONLY choice we will give them! We will never allow them to take victory over us or our friends!" Aldurmaax roared, his companions sounding their approval.

"De'mah will guide us. His iron-clad hand driving us to destroy the humans, to crush them into dust! Fight with honor and faith, and De'mah will see you home, and the humans annihilated!"

Looking back to the sky Aldurmaax looked not to De'mah, but to where the humans had gone, knowing tomorrow he would be helping the Pegasi of Cloudsdale relocate would give the humans time to recuperate.

_In due time, they will fall. In due time.  
_

* * *

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	9. One Nine: Total Stalemate

_**One. Nine**_  
_**Total Stalemate  
**_

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

"What about the river to the left, could we try- No? Damn."

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"The mountains! We could sneak Pelicans through the passes and- Swarming with Dragons? Son of a bitch."

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"Stealth forces. Under cover of night they would sneak into enemy cities and then- You're right, we wouldn't be able to get them out and they wouldn't be able to do much damage."

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

"ODSTs! We could drop them literally right into- Oh, right, we wouldn't be able to get them out without getting spotted by dragons."

_Taptaptaptaptaptaptap._

"Well Goddamnit, Excalibur, we gotta think of something!" Adam Kuyaki declared, taking his hand from his desk in his quarters, ceasing rapping his fingers against it. He had sat in the room for the past hour, thinking over plans of attack with Excalibur, to no avail.

"Sir, in layman's terms; we are currently screwed. I suggest finding a way to drain the Equestrians of supplies until they surrender" the AI suggested.

"Hmm, what's the ammo count for our weapons?"

"The MAC currently has seven rounds. Archer pods C7 through Z9 are intact, leaving us with a little over 1,000 missiles. Hyperion count is three" the AI explained.

"And Shiva?" Adam asked, leaning back in his seat and putting his boots up on the desk.

"Sir, I believe the technical term is 'overkill'. Nonetheless, we have four SHIVA tactical nukes."

"Excal, comb over the Equestrian cities for valuable strategic targets for the nukes. Let me know what's up" Adam stated, getting up from his seat to head to the bridge.

"Again, sir, I believe-"

"Just do it, Excalibur."

"Complying."

* * *

_Dink. Dink. Dink._

"So Manehattan is down, Cloudsdale is crippled, and the humans have pushed on the absolute edges of the Kingdom. There aren't many more cities in the way of their onslaught. Fillydelphia, Ponyville, Canterlot" Princess Celestia declared to her sister.

"Aldurmaax and his dragons are fighting bravely, but I believe the humans will make a breakthrough soon. It's just a matter of when" Luna replied. "Aldurmaax is demanding that all who can walk and fly fight for the honor of Equestria. The mating parties keep producing dragons but at the incredibly slow rate they age it will be decades before any one of the newborns are ready to fight."

"There're still plenty of dragons around to fight the humans, at least. We don't need replacements yet" Celestia said.

_Dink. Dink. Dink. Dink._

"The good news though is that Aldurmaax and his dragons pushed the humans back from Cloudsdale, giving what remained of her population time to evacuate. The city was absolutely wrecked, though. It'll take the Pegasi years to rebuild it all" Luna stated.

"Hehm, maybe they'll update the architecture" Celestia humorlessly joked.

The Princess of the sun stopped tapping her hoof against the marble and tucked it under her prone body, curling up. It was a little cold in her room, and the fireplace could only help so much.

"We are losing this war, aren't we?" Luna asked. "Do you think we're-"

"I know we're losing, Luna... I just want to know if we've lost."*

* * *

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

"I believe they call it a stalemate" Aldurmaax declared to his shrampe; diminutive assistant, as they lamented the war.

_Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud._

"De'mah will guide us, won't he? There's still hope, right?" the shrampe asked.

A dragon of unquestioning faith Aldurmaax rested his busy talons and looked up at the shrine to De'mah in his throne room, silently wondering if the God really would help them in the end.

"I believe he will."

* * *

***This is a reference to Kat's line in Halo: Reach.**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and all related characters belong to Hasbro. My Little Pony belongs to Hasbro. Halo belongs to Microsoft Studios. All other characters and intellectual properties belong to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	10. One Ten: On the Offensive

**_One. Ten.  
On the Offensive  
_**

* * *

"My Princess" the stallion bowed.

"There's no need for that, Shining Armor. Rise" Celestia gently commanded; the lead of her army complied. He was freshly bathed, his uniform sharp and spartan. His mane flowing in the breeze.

"Fillydelphia is prepared, correct?" Celestia asked, looking down at the stalwart stallion, who nodded.

"Yes, Princess, the civilians have all been evacuated and it has been converted into an extremely defensible location. The mountains on either side of the city prevent any meaningful ground invasion and our master magicians are in position on rooftops to blast down any of their skyboats. If they want in, they'll have to come straight at us" Shining declared.

"And the ship?"

"Aldurmaax has pledged loyalty to his dying breath, and the dragons under him swore their oath. We will do everything in our power to stop the humans at Fillydelphia, your highness" Shining boldly stated.

"Good. Make sure your commanders have their orders. And make sure the Dawnguard serve honorably" the Princess of the Sun declared. Shining nodded and saluted, turning to leave.

"Oh and Shining?" the Princess called out.

"Hmm?"

"Don't make it a pyrrhic victory."

* * *

"MOVE! We're shoring up every last defense we got here! THIS is the line! THIS is where we stop the human invaders and push them back into the heavens! You STAND, and you FIGHT!" Captain Shining Armor bellowed, watching the human ship slowly glide closer and closer to Fillydelphia, her fighters swarming around her like miniature sharks.

"They came from the heavens, but they are no angels! They crushed Manehattan, crippled Cloudsdale, but they stop HERE! THIS is where we make them fall, Dawnguard!"

As anticipated the skyboats, Pelicans they called them, came from the ship, flying ahead to deliver human soldiers to the battle. Were they a fair enemy Shining would wait until they had deposited their soldiers before engaging, but the humans had a knack for playing dirty.

"For the HONOR and GLORY of the Princesses! Master Mages, charge your horns!" Shining commanded, the Unicorns generating their powerful combat spells to blast the skyboats from their invisible waters. Dark green magic circled around the tips of each horn as they prepared to let off the first volley.

"FIRE!"

Like precision lasers the Unicorns fired, thick green beams lancing into the skies at the Pelicans. The lead skyboat was hit on the front left engine, crippling the pod and sending the vehicle to a wobbly crash-landing in the streets.

More Pelicans were hit on the bottom hull or magnetic overhang and survived, but those hit in the engines went down.

"Aim for the wings! Clip the beasts!" Captain Armor bellowed.

A Pelican swooped down over Shining and opened fire with its chin gun, heavy rounds ripping through the front ranks. Rockets unleashed from pods on the wings rained upon the rooftops, taking many a Unicorn.

"Humans behind the line! Humans behind the line!" a distant soldier shouted, blasting a red beam at an unknown target. More Pelicans were slipping past the Master Mages and depositing their soldiers.

"Dawnguard, let's mop up these invaders!" Shining exclaimed, seeing that the Pelicans were returning to the ship and no more were coming. The dragons had taken off from the mountains and had replaced the human fighters as the sharks circling around the whale, which was now directly over Fillydelphia.

"You stay alert and you'll stay alive! Be sure to-"

**_WHAM!_**

Dust and rocks sprayed Shining Armor and his stallions, the tan cloud suddenly sprouting up from the street in front of them. In the cloud was a black pod, unmoving. A hiss and a **_BANG_** and a door came off the pod, slamming into a stallion face-first and cracking his skull.

The dust started to clear and Shining observed as a human, dressed in armor black as night, stepped out. His visor a silver color. Levelled in one hand was a small gun, his other hand braced on a handle inside the pod.

The human opened fire with the gun and it was like a hose of bullets, pocking the armor and faces and legs of the stallions in his way. Shining ducked into a department store as more pods slammed into the streets of Fillydelphia.

One human stepped forward, shouldering a strange weapon. Near him, standing fast, was a brave stallion. The soldier raised his sword, standing on his hinds. The move opened him up to the human and he fired, the stallion barrelled over by the weapon. His armor was torn open by a hundred small holes and the human racked a pump, a plastic shell clattering to the concrete with a distinctive sound.

"HELLJUMPERS! HOOAH MOTHERFUCKERS!"

Snaking to the back of the store Shining Armor exited into the alley there and doubled around, about to exit into the street when a massive Griffon tank grinded by, coming to a stop in the intersection and turning its cannon. A mighty **_BOOOM_** echoed in Shining's ears as the main gun fired down an adjacent street, a plume of dust kicked up over the roofs.

"Goddess above!" Captain Armor commented, quickly crossing the street into another alley. The edge had been eroded away, but the Dawnguard were valiantly standing against the invaders deep in the city streets.

Several blocks later on main street the might of the Dawnguard fought bravely, fending off human bullets and grenades. The vehicles hadn't reached this far. Rallying his forces Shining Armor steeled them and pushed them against the humans, hoping to put them on the offensive.

"Pick your targets well! Look for high-ranking officers or commanders!" Shining ordered, firing off small but powerful penetration spells; enough to kill human soldiers within 100 feet, but not severely taxing on his magic reserves.

A human fighter screamed over the length of main street, literally dropping fire into the midst of the Dawnguard. Stallions not killed by the blasts were forced to suffer painful deaths or asphyxiation.

"FIGHT! FIGHT FOR THE HONOR AND GLORY OF THE PRINCESSES!" Shining commanded, rapidly firing into the ranks of the humans. Automatic fire clattered in the air, tank shells collapsed buildings, and missiles rained from the skies.

"This is madness, Captain! We need to reconsolidate a calmer defense from a more strategic position!" one of the stallions declared, his bow long out of arrows.

"What would you suggest!?" the Captain asked, bunkering down from the explosion of a grenade.

"The church on the north side of the city. The Griffons coming from that side are being fended off quite well."

"Let's get mov-"

Cut off by his comrade's head spraying blood from a vapor trail Shining was forced to duck down, the battle still long enough for him to hear the distant crack of a rifle. The vapor trail leading all the way back to the church tower, which had a perfect view of main street.

"Everypony OFF main street NOW!" Shining yelled, blasting a street clear with a magic bomb. His stallions funnelled toward him, the human fighters banking straight for the street.

_Spotters. Snipers. In the tower. A radio._

Missiles were fired in all directions from the strafing fighters, ripping the street and many stallions asunder. The chorus of destruction assaulting Shining's ears and shaking his bones. The madness forcing a psychological strain on most of the stallions.

The Dawnguard with Shining Armor followed him down the clear street and straight into the path of a convoy of human jeeps, the turrets on the back turning to fire on them. Some stallions were killed by bullets. Some by rockets. The truly unfortunate ones speared by a lance of white that seemed to blast through their targets and every building in town before stopping. A human tank, gigantic in size and power, toppled a building in the street from where the soldiers came, forcing them to split up and retreat into buildings and alleys.

"Goddess above save our hides! This is truly a lost cause!" one of the Dawnguard exclaimed, looking outside to the sky. The human ship loomed overhead, swarmed by dragons but barely touched. The sky was beginning to turn red, and black smoke billowed and mixed with the clouds above.

"Get yourselves together soldier, you're in the Dawnguard. The most elite of Her Majesty's soldiers and guards. We'll drive the humans back or die trying" Shining stated matter-of-factly.

"FIGHT, DAWNGUARD! EVEN 'TILL YOUR LAST!"

Shining Armor shouldered the back door opened ready to fight, and instead saw humans skyboats flying away from Fillydelphia back to the mothership. The fighting had calmed down to a distant explosion or heavy gunfire, most likely from the fighters or Pelicans.

"Did we do it? Did we drive them back?" Shining wondered, heading down the alley and peeking out into the streets. It was clear, not of rubble or fire, but of humans or their vehicles. It seemed the Dawnguard had managed to drive the humans back to their ship.

"AHAHA! We DID it, troopers!" Shining thundered triumphantly. They had suffered many casualties but ultimately they had beaten the humans on the ground. A feat many had not thought possible. The last of the human skyboats disappeared from sight as it neared the human ship and Fillydelphia was clear of humans.

"Nice job, Dawnguard! You did me proud!" Shining Armor exclaimed, smiling at the soldiers with him, who looked relieved. "Let's call in to the Princesses and give them the good news."

A thunder shook Shining from his speech and he looked up, watching the human ship begin to accelerate. It wasn't turning to retreat but was rather heading forward, north towards Ponyville and the direction of Canterlot. Dragons continued to attack it and were met with swift death from the cannons.

"What the hell?" Shining commented.

Something on the ship shifted and a single missile launched into the sky, the dragon High Lord Aldurmaax swatting at it but missing. In his heroism Aldurmaax took off after the gigantic rocket as it rose into the sky before beginning to dip and streak for Fillydelphia. The weapon and the mighty dragon silhouetted by the mid-day sun.

"One missile?! That's their parting strike? Weak!" Shining boasted, watching the missile barrel down on the once-great metropolis. Aldurmaax never once stopped chasing it, tucking his wings against his body in an effort to gain more speed.

_"RUN! RUN HEROES OF THE PRINCESSES! NOW!"_ Aldurmaax bellowed, his voice calling out to all of the Dawnguard in the city. He was obviously concerned about the rocket.

A mile above the streets of Fillydelphia the missile exploded, unleashing a power unlike anything Shining Armor had ever seen. His eyes burned and his vision blurred before turning black, leaving him dazed. The mighty **_BOOM_** sure to be heard all across the world. A whipping wind knocked Shining over and shook weakened buildings to their foundations. The roar of fire and flame raced through the streets, torching all in its path. The mountains only amplified the blast effect, reverberating off the rocky peaks and bounding back into the city with a much greater force, levelling it to the very ground.

The fire _wooshed_ down the alley where Shining was, roaring like the fire blast of a dragon. Its searing heat was the last thing Shining Armor ever felt.

* * *

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Shining Armor, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other original characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	11. One Eleven: Breaking Point

**_One. Eleven  
__Breaking Point_**

_'Mass destruction! Fillydelphia falls to the destructive power of one missile! The human juggernaut continues to sweep their way through our borders to the heart of our fair country! Canterlot! Full story on page seven._

* * *

"Jesus Goddamn Christ I knew nuclear warheads were deadly but I didn't know the Hyperion missile could be that effective" Adam Kuyaki commented, observing the ruins and fires of Fillydelphia before turning away to face the challenges ahead. The dragons were _extremely_ angry at them, and were chasing after them. The 70mms were starting to feel the strain as their ammo reserves slowly dwindled.

"Excalibur, be sure to reload the cannons first chance we get. We need to keep these dragons off us" the Captain said before getting on the comm. "Listen up boys and girls of the _Kabato_! We are abandoning the ground campaign! All future engagements will be fought from the safety of this ship! Stay strapped in, this war will be over soon!"

"Sir, an air-only campaign is against UNSC regulations when fighting on an alien world" Excalibur commented, appearing on the plinth.

"I am aware, Excal. Thanks for the reminder" Captain Kuyaki replied, sitting in his command chair as the _Kabato_ began to pick up speed, beginning to slowly outrun the dragons chasing them.

"First up is Ponyville, then the capital city, Canterlot" Excalibur piped up, showing the Captain a hologram of the large hamlet and royal metropolis respectively. Adam stared at Canterlot in reminiscence of when he first arrived in the city.

_Should've never agreed to their stupid fucking demilitarization demands._

"Arm Hyperion missiles and a single Archer. And reload the 70mms when we've got significant distance between us and the dragons" Adam said, standing and approaching the viewport, staring out at Ponyville ahead. "Switch the broadcasting megaphone on, too."

"Complying."

"Excal, train these guns on these targets" Captain Kuyaki stated, typing in on his datapad specific targets. The AI wouldn't find it very logical but it was his job to do as told.

"Complying."

"This is it, people! This is the last stand of the Equestrian Kingdom! This is to be their downfall! All you have to do is sit back and watch the show" Adam declared to his bridge crew, folding his hands behind his back.

Passing over a forest of black-bark trees the UNSC _Kabato_ over Ponyville, casting her shadow of the town; turning right the destroyer began to face in the direction of Canterlot, purposefully creeping slowly across the sky. Aldurmaax and his dragons caught up, attacking the human ship.

"Keep them away from the missile pods!" Adam commanded, keeping his eyes on the dragon High Lord. Seeing him around other dragons the Captain noticed that Aldurmaax was slightly bigger than most of them.

_Should make the bastard easier to hit._

"Fire the Hyperions on Ponyville" Kuyaki stated, watching two of the nuclear warheads launch from their tubes and rise into the sky. Aldurmaax, recognizing the destructive weapons, took off after them. Anticipating where the first one would apex before dipping down the High Lord intercepted the massive rocket, unleashing flame on the tube. Hitting the magnification Adam got to see a dragon's fire breath in action, noticing that it sizzled and boiled like super-heated plasma, explaining how it was able to punch through the armor of his ship.

The Hyperion sputtered and failed as Aldurmaax melted the boosters and uranium core, causing the broken missile to spiral out of control before falling to a harmless landing in the middle of Ponyvile.

The other Hyperion, however-

**_BOOM!_**

A flash from behind the _Kabato_ brightened the afternoon skies, illuminating the hull of the destroyer. Risking his eyes Adam turned to the left viewport and looked down at the city, watching the thermonuclear warhead working its fiery magic, spouting jets of flame through the city. The blast wave flattened most buildings and the intense fire melted the rest.

"FORWARD! CRUSH ALL WHO STAND BEFORE US!" Adam bellowed, feeling the _Kabato_ get underway to Canterlot. Aldurmaax, assuredly seething with rage, dove straight for the UNSC destroyer, braving the fields of fire the 70mms provided. Landing on the top slope he practically galloped for the bridge, ramming his head against the tempered glass.

"TRE'MUH! BEA TOA NAAL GRAAAAAAN! FORS FAV AL TUU MOK! AH SOMD HIR LIR ALDURMAAX!" the mighty beast thundered, the force of his voice almost crushing the bridge. The High Lord fired flame on the bridge, scorching it for a full 30 seconds before taking to the skies again.

_"HEATHENS! YOU WREAK DESTRUCTION THAT YOU CAN NOT COMPREHEND! YOU WILL DIE THIS DAY HUMANS! FOR I AM THE HIGH LORD ALDURMAAX!"_ the automated translators declared, repeating what the dragon leader had said.

"How's THIS for destruction! Excalibur, I want that dragon fucking DEAD, Goddamnit! NOW!" Adam Kuyaki declared, watching the High Lord bank back for the _Kabato_.

Landing on the slope with a slide Aldurmaax clutched the bridge in his massive hands, staring straight into Adam's eyes as he stood mere feet from the giant dragon, separated only by glass impervious to his fire and claws and head.

"MAARK. MYYY. WOOORDS. HUMAN. _YOU. WILL. __**DIE.**__"_

Looking around for a suitable target Aldurmaax spied the pods for the Archer missiles, stalking over to them and picking at the open ports with his claws, trying to rip one of the rockets from its tube.

"Hey Excal, fire that entire pod, why don't ya?" the Captain said, watching as 7 Archer missiles launched and went off in Aldurmaax's face, crippling him. Face bloodied and beaten the High Lord glared at the bridge with an unfathomable rage, turning to attack once again.

"FIRE!" Adam yelled, a 70mm turret turning and firing two rounds at the underside of the High Lord, flashes of white and sparks flying off the armor there. The force of the blasts throwing Aldurmaax from the UNSC _Kabato_ and sending his limp body plummeting to the earth below.

Arriving at Canterlot the human destroyer loomed like it did the day the war started, sending the citizens in the streets below into a panic. It was mass chaos as the human warship sat unmoving, unblinking.

"Give me the stick, Excalibur" Adam said, sitting in his command chair and grasping the yoke. The key turned, and a single missile was fired from its tube, lancing into the sky. Adam pushed forward on the stick, turning the missile down. Watching the display screen to guide the warhead the Captain guided the rocket into the grand hall of the royal palace, where an event known as the Grand Galloping Gala took place every year. The missile flew right where it was supposed to, and detonating. The small fireball and cloud of black smoke from the single Archer was enough to send a powerful signal to the Equestrians.

They had lost.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**The word "Kabato" appears seven times in this chapter.**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	12. One Twelve: That was Quick

_**One. Twelve  
That was Quick**_

* * *

"No more meddling. No more interfering. You mind your own business, 'Princess'" Chancellor Steelbeak snarled as he and Captain Adam Kuyaki stood before the three leaders of Equestria in the personal bedroom of Celestia.

"Those are the only terms we have" Adam commented.

"Very well" Celestia deadpanned. Twilight and Luna looked pissed, but the Princess of the day looked sad.

"Good! Now we will be leaving. Goodbye!" Steelbeak exclaimed, stalking away on all fours. Adam stayed his feet for a second before following.

* * *

The UNSC _Kabato_ hovered over Canterlot, the Captain looking on the viewscreen at the damage to the royal palace being mended. There were several bodies of unlucky ponies in the room, which were about to be carried off by the medics. The single Archer was merely meant to be a personal slap on the Princesses, while the nuke fired into Ponyville was the true end to the war.

"Excalibur, take an inventory of our remaining weaponry and evaluate ship damage, then get us under way to Griffonia" Adam said, sitting in his seat.

In just a little over a week the _Kabato_ had single-handedly won a war that would've taken the Equestrians months to finish, with minimal casualties among the UNSC and the Griffons. The Equestrians lost countless dragons and citizens, as well as two cities. All in all it had been a successful campaign.

"Let's stay on the planet for another week or so and run the Griffons through some exercises before giving our report to, ONI. For now, let's just all relax." The bridge crew approved.

Leaning back in his command chair Adam closed his eyes, taking a minor breather. He had very high hopes for the future.

* * *

Princess Celestia sighed as Adam and the Griffon left, hanging her head low. It had been what seemed like the longest week of her life; two cities gone, hundreds of thousands dead, and her country crippled. She had ordered all soldiers to stand down, including the dragons, who complied wordlessly. She knew they were angry, though.

"I suppose we better get to work repairing our land" Celestia said, getting to her hooves and heading for the door.

"They killed my brother..." Twilight growled through grit teeth. Celestia sighed again, turning around to face her once-student.

"...They killed us all, one way or another..."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Chancellor Steelbeak, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	13. Intermission

_**Intermission**_

* * *

Stationed in dry dock the UNSC _Kabato_ underwent her repairs, the Griffon engineers hard at work mending her holes and polishing her coat. Adam stood on a catwalk, silently watching the sky and his ship. The UNSC destroyer was a fine piece, though not as powerful as other ships in the fleet. Speed was the destroyer's power.

That and two MAC cannons.

_70mm's reloaded. ODST pods refilled. Archers reloaded. Looks like everything's in order_ Adam mused, going over his datapad. He had the UNSC engineers reload the weapons and pods; the Griffons didn't have the expertise, and Adam wouldn't trust them with handling missiles.

_They have a dedication to their allies, especially us. They're really slacking in the aerial offense and defense departments, though, which is where we need the most help. They're effective ground troops, though._

The first part of Adam's report to the Office of Naval Intelligence was already taking shape, and would be ready by the end of the week. The only real obstacle was proving to FleetCom that these things actually exist, but Adam already had that figured out with a live video of one.

_They might be curious of the Equestrians. Well, what remains of them anyway_ Adam smirked, still in celebration over their victory against the horse people. Despite minimal losses it had been a crushing victory. The use of nukes had been, as Excalibur put it, overkill, but it got the job done. The destruction wielded by those warheads would have the Equestrians reeling for decades.

All in all, a pretty poor showing on the side of the Equestrians.

_There were those dragons, though. Especially Aldurmaax._ That was a valid concern, but the dragons had stood down at Celestia's order. And Aldurmaax was dead, so it was nothing to worry about.

Resting his arms on the railing Captain Kuyaki idly stared out, wondering where the future would take him and his new-found allies.

* * *

Outside the irradiated rubble of Ponyville, where rare survivors gathered to mourn their loss or express utter disbelief, the remainder of the Equestrian Dawnguard tended to the body of Aldurmaax, who lied unmoving on a small hill. The elite soldiers stood about wondering what to do with the dead High Lord, many suggesting they bury him where he lie.

The soil moved and the Dawnguard looked over casually, suspecting it was merely an underground critter that had been unearthed by the dragon's fall.

Aldurmaax's claw twitched, and shakily balled into a fist, his right eye breaking free of the dried blood that had caked it shut, the eyeball sluggishly looking back and forth across the faces of the stallions gathered around him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I could've combined this and chapter 12, but I didn't.**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Chancellor Steelbeak, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	14. Two Fourteen: The Other Half

_**Two. Fourteen  
The Other Half**_

* * *

**Ninth age of Reclamation  
****CCS battlecruiser ****_Zealous Faith_****. Fleet of Undoubting Commitment  
****Shipmaster N'por 'Tumai**

Shipmaster N'por 'Tumai's four-fingered hand curled around the armrest of his hovering command chair, the Sangheili's dark eyes scanning the displays before him. He was an Aristocrat of the 'Tumai state of Sangheilios, and stood above most other of his kin at 7 units high. A distinguished naval officer as well as ample swordsman, he strutted both the battlefield and his command center in fiery orange armor.

Always angry, and always planning his moves as if in battle, N'por carefully plotted where they would go next on their mission. A holy mission, assigned by the master statesmen of Sangheilios to find an ancient race known as the 'Div'; who once worshipped the Sangheili as Gods.

"We can't exactly go about jumping at random, though it may seem we have no chance but to do so" N'por announced, leaning back and bringing the tips of his fingers together, rapping them together.

"Chart a course and get us into the Void. Random trajectory."

* * *

"...My sister, Princess Luna!" Princess Celestia exclaimed, pointing a hoof to her younger half, who smiled. Taking to the air the Princess of the Night spread her wings over the moon statue constructed for her, lowering the celestial body into position. Celestia did the same, the bodies of the heavens resting at twilight before taking their positions, the two Princess lowering themselves gently to the deck afterwards. The Summer Sun Celebration had gone as planned, despite the immense damages to the country, for morale purposes among the population.

"Have a happy celebration, everypony!" Luna called out, looking to her sister, who nodded. The crowd dispersed, going about their selected activities. While they were busy Celestia, Luna, and Twilight gathered behind the stage, looking out to the ruins of Ponyville in the distance.

"Charades can only go on for so long before the citizenry gets angry. Well, more angry than they already are. Most of them are afraid, however. We need to get this mess cleaned up" Luna commented.

"Agreed. Fillydelphia and Ponyville seem to be covered in blankets of some adverse magic, one that has severe effects on those exposed to it. The survivors of the blast have had their coats cooked off, and severe burns on their skin. Those who have survived the magic are beginning to lose clumps of fur and their skin is getting flaky. Whatever it is, it's not easily contained. Most of the doctors treating the survivors are getting exposed to it too" Twilight explained.

"Ponyville and Fillydelphia will most likely have to be rebuilt in new locations. What of Cloudsdale and Manehattan?" Celestia asked.

"Cloudsdale is well under way to getting fully repaired, the dragons lending help. They've been understandably quiet, some even going so far as to growling or blowing smoke at their Pegasi companions. They are VERY angry at not only losing the war, but at us for surrendering" Twilight answered.

"Hmph, I figured they would understand. They were facing the same threats we were" Luna scoffed.

"You have to understand their culture, Luna. They are fiercely proud, and never submit to defeat. The last time they did was thousands of years ago when we defeated them, and they've been loyal to us ever since. All who serve and fight do so to their very last breath. When they concede to defeat it's done so unanimously, and their leader is executed and replaced, the new one entrusted to lead the dragons to a brighter future. I've heard unconfirmed reports of some dragons deserting to join the humans, following their ancient code of honor to serve those who best them in battle with undying loyalty" Princess Sparkle explained.

"Hmm" was all Princess Luna had to offer in reply.

"Manehattan is under control of the Griffons for now. I don't think we'll ever be getting that city back."

"We will let the dragons do as they please for now. It's the least we can do for them" Celestia stated.

Silence fell over the trio, broken only by the sounds of the celebration behind them. It was far quieter this year than it usually was, most likely as the war was still fresh on everypony's mind.

"Celestia, I-" Twilight started, cut off by an incredibly loud boom, like that of the sound barrier being broken. The crowd behind them screamed out in panic, fearing an attack from the humans using their Flash-Bombs.

"In the sky!" one mare screamed, prompting everypony to look up. Twilight saw something unlike anything she had ever seen before racing down from the heavens, sailing through the sky effortlessly. It was long, massive, and was curved and bulbous. With a fat middle and narrow head. Three long fins stuck down from the nose. The hull of the spaceship a purple-gray.

It came to a stop directly over Canterlot, hovering, unmoving. The crowd was now in a full-blown panic, thinking it was more humans. Twilight knew better, though. It didn't match what the humans painted their ships in.

A light purple cylinder of light extended from the bottom of the ship, coming to a stop in the very center of the park where the Summer Sun Celebration was being held. The crowd stilled for a moment, watching the light for any signs of...anything.

Finally, a being floated down the tube, slowing before impact and lightly landing in the grass. It was_gargantuan_, capping at 7 feet tall, towering over the diminutive ponies. It's armor was fiery orange, and at it's side was a handle, with ancient runes on it glowing blue.

"It's...one of you..." Celestia whispered, stepping forth. "The dragons are going to want to see you."

* * *

N'por stood impatient in the entrance hall to the Master Room, where the leader of a race known as 'dragons' resided. This leader had yet to arrive, however, and the Shipmaster was getting even more angry than usual.

Finally the gigantic wooden doors behind him opened and in stepped a beast, part of his face and chest heavily bandaged. His armor was dented and scorched, and his steps were a little wobbly.

"Greetings, I am High Lord of the Dragons, Aldurmaax" the beast declared, a strange tone of happiness in his voice. N'por stood with his arms folded over his chest, offering no reply other than his name.

"N'por... Come with me, there is something I must show you" Aldurmaax said, sluggishly walking past the Sangheili and down the hall. There was an offshoot to the right much too small for a dragon, and the High Lord commented on it.

"This temple was taken from a race known as the Griffons during our war 1,000 years ago. I adopted it as my perch when I took power."

N'por remained silent, following the dragon.

Reaching a staircase the two descended, N'por impatiently waiting for the slow dragon to reach the bottom. On the level there were no doors or offshoots, and they moved on without pause.

Another flight down and they reached a long hall, leading to a massive stone chair in a big chamber. Aldurmaax picked up a little speed, not moving as wobbly as he was before. N'por easily stayed caught up with the dragon, and they quickly reached the chamber.

It was big, the ceiling stretching all the way to probably the peak of the mountain the temple was built into. The massive size and huge chair are not what caught N'por's eye, however, but rather what was behind the chair.

It was a stained glass picture, almost as tall as the chamber it was in. At the top of the shrine was a black dragon, circling around. And at the forefront was a white-armored Sangheili, thrusting his energy sword high into the air.

"Welcome back, kin of De'mah 'Tokam. We are the Div; the dragons" Aldurmaax commented, bowing before N'por 'Tumai.

* * *

**Legal disclaimer: N'por 'Tumai, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other original characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	15. One Fifteen: Lord Tumai

**_Two. Fifteen  
Lord 'Tumai_**

* * *

"Interesting. YOUR kind are the Div? The ancient race that once worshipped the Sangheili long ago?" N'por questioned.

"We never stopped worshipping. Wishing that one day you would return. Our faith has rewarded us kindly. We are in dire times" Aldurmaax explained, sitting on the floor.

This was an interesting development for N'por; his mission was complete, and he was supposed to report back to the master statesmen, but he was curious to see the Div in action. To see if they were truly capable warriors.

Not getting a reply from N'por Aldurmaax continued on. "They came from the heavens, much like you did, but were demons. They plundered our world, destroying anything in their path. They killed thousands! They called themselves; humanity" the High Lord said.

N'por immediately perked up, looking at the massive beast in surprise. "Did you say they called themselves 'humanity'? By the Gods" N'por declared, curling his hand into a fist.

"Do you know of them? Do you know of their treachery?" Aldurmaax questioned, curious to see what the humans meant to 'Tumai.

"I know all too well..."

* * *

Captain Kuyaki leaned back in his command chair on the bridge, idly flicking an antiquated quarter-dollar coin into the air. The view outside was excellent as night began to fall on Griffonia, Celestia's sun sinking below the horizon.

"Excalibur, is our report ready to be sent to ONI?" Adam asked, looking over to the AI plinth. The AI appeared, nodding. "Good. Let's send it off, then."

"Do you believe our mission to be a success?" Excal inquired. Adam looked away in wonder, idly staring out the viewport.

"I don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait for the spooks to decide. I mean, we DID-"

Adam was cut off by the ship rumbling and shaking, and the alarms going off. Pulling his feet off the console Kuyaki turned his chair forward, alert and ready. "Excal, status report! Get us facing whatever just attacked us!" the Captain ordered, feeling it was more pesky dragons.

The UNSC _Kabato_ turned in place, coming about to face-

-A Covenant battlecruiser. With dragons coming at the _Kabato_.

"What the hell? Oh you have got to be jerking me."

* * *

"Keep the humans occupied while our new friends attack! I want their primitive cannons knocked off their vessel" N'por commanded, observing the human ship. It was moving to a new position; low and to the left. Aldurmaax's Div were already nearing it, however.

"My dragons have bravely fought the human vessel, but have not fared well in the past. I am hoping you can change that, my lord" Aldurmaax said, watching the battle play out.

"The might of our ship will beat them down, and your Div will crush them into dust" N'por declared, tightening his fist. The human ship, seemingly named _Kabato_, accelerated toward the _Zealous Faith_, darting under her.

"Mistake, humans" N'por growled, arming the bottom plasma projector and firing it. The stream of superheated plasma thundered to the ground below, exploding the area of impact with great force. Thousands of trees around it flashed into ashes, and the rest were lit on fire.

Only the side of the human ship had been scorched, leaving her mostly unmarked save for a slight melting.

"Turn us around! NOW!" Shipmaster 'Tumai barked, the _Zealous Faith_ turning on its axis to continue its attack. The human ship had also turned, staring down the battlecruiser. "FOOLS! I crush you with the might of the Forerunners in my hands!" The main turret charged up, preparing to fire on the human vessel.

Suddenly there was a flash from the front of the _Kabato_, a white streak lancing across the sky. It brushed the side of the _Faith_, ripping a few holes in her hull.

N'por growled, the plasma turret discharged, and the human ship came straight for them. The plasma torpedo followed the humans, turning to chase after them. Banking hard to the right human ship roared past the _Faith_, the plasma torpedo failing to turn adequately and impacting on a nearby mountain, blasting the peak into pebbles.

Turning back again the _Faith_ fired its point-defense lasers, targeting any part of the Kabato it could. The humans, recognizing their eventual defeat, retreated, rocketing away from the battle and towards the horizon.

"My lord, will you not chase after them?" Aldurmaax commented, baffled.

"No, let them run like the cowards they are. We will all enjoy hunting them like wounded animals" N'por 'Tumai replied, tapping his fingers together.


	16. Two Sixteen: Requiem for Equestria

**ALERT: important announcement in the author's note at the end of this chapter.  
**

* * *

**Two. Sixteen  
****Requiem for Equestria**

* * *

"WHAT in the name of Tartarus below is that damn thing?! Did the Equestrians build that?!" Chancellor Steelbeak exclaimed, pointing to the hologram of the Covenant battlecruiser on the bridge of the Kabato.

"No, it was built by the biggest threat our race knows; the Covenant Empire. Looks like they struck up an alliance with the Equestrians and Dragons" Captain Kuyaki answered.

"That damn thing has lasered FOUR of my cities into glowing pools! I hope you have a plan to deal with it!" Steelbeak stated.

"Not yet! I need time to think it over. Standing orders for destroyers and frigates are to run when faced with Covenant ships of this size, but I won't do so, not when I'm so close to my goal! We'll have to find a way to fight, somehow."

"Why not just blast it? You have your MAC! And your Flash-Bombs!" the Chancellor decreed. Adam shook his head, showing a representation of the energy shields.

"Magic... Probably granted to them by the Equestrians" the Griffon leader scoffed.

"Not magic; science. All Covenant ships have these energy shields. They can be broken, but it takes tremendous force" Adam explained.

"Damn... I bet the Equestrians are loving the Covenant right now" Steelbeak commented.

"Actually, I wonder what the Equestrians really have to say about the Covenant..."

* * *

The three Princesses of Equestria stood on the address stage of Canterlot, standing before a crowd of thousands of ponies. Hovering over the royal city was the Covenant battlecruiser _Zealous Faith_, the High Lord Aldurmaax next to the Princesses.

"You are sure about this?" Celestia asked, craning her neck to look up at Aldurmaax, who nodded eagerly. The Princess had never seen him this happy, or happy at all. She knew more than anyone else the extent of the Dragons' religion, more than the actual Dragons knew. She knew what De'mah 'Tokam was, what kind of dark secrets he held and hid from the 'Div'. She knew what kind of beings the Sangheili were. She would never tell the Dragons the truth, though. She would never tell anyone.

A purple beam was cast down from the battlecruiser and a Sangheili descended, the same one from the Summer Sun Celebration. He landed on the stage with a thud, stalking over to where the Princesses stood.

Aldurmaax bowed.

"What is your name?" Celestia asked.

"N'por 'Tumai" the Sangheili growled. Their voices were always deep and powerful.

"You come to Equestria seeking the Div; the Dragons. They worship you as Gods. You also come with the means to destroy humanity, the gravest enemy we have ever faced. We ask to see the power you hold, so we may judge it for ourselves" Princess Celestia declared.

N'por nodded, turning back to face his ship. He motioned to the vessel, and it answered. From the nose of the gargantuan ship came a purple beam, lancing out above the royal city. Several empty airships had been set up as targets. The beam hit the airship and it exploded, vaporized in under a second. The other weapons of the ship discharged, obliterating the other airships.

Moving away from Canterlot the _Faith_ moved towards a small island, completely barren except for a few trees. It positioned itself over the island, lining up a large circle on the bottom that was starting to glow.

"Goodness that is bright. It's hurting my eyes!" Twilight yelled, averting her gaze from the glow. It finally discharged, raining down a beam on the island. The impact annihilated the island, and the heat began to boil away the lake it was in. Collateral damage. Within seven seconds the island and lake were gone, leaving only a giant crater.

Aldurmaax could not help but grin ear to ear in awe of the Covenant's power, but the Princesses, and indeed all of pony-kind, were mortified.

"Mother above, that was far too much" Luna commented, looking at her sister. The Sangheili turned around, and Aldurmaax looked down. Celestia was staring at where the island and lake used to be, unable to take her eyes away.

"The High Lord here believes you have a problem with humanity. That they have crushed your world and left you battered. I have the power to eradicate them from the face of this earth!" N'por growled, tightening his fist.

"No! No more violence! We can not bear it any longer! This is absurd! Your guns VAPORIZED an entire island and lake! They are far too powerful! We can not see more violence. Please go" Celestia said.

N'por's expression did not change, he merely stood in place, and Aldurmaax was looking back and forth at the two parties.

"So be it" N'por grumbled, turning back to the grav lift and ascending it, Aldurmaax taking off after him.

"Mother... I need to take a rest" Celestia said, quickly leaving the stage and heading back to the palace. The crowd began to murmur, but dispersed.

Twilight sighed, relieved. She was glad to see the Princess still standing up for Equestria's non-violent beliefs. "I do think we dodged a bullet with that one" Twilight commented, looking over her shoulder at Luna, who shook her head.

"It doesn't matter. Every gun on this planet is trained on us right now."

* * *

Shipmaster 'Tumai sat in the control room, looking at the feed of Canterlot, the Royal Equestrian City. His hand hovered over the firing stud for the plasma projector, his mind debating over destroying them.

Aldurmaax sat at his side, staring at the Sangheili's hand. He didn't know what to do; he was still ferociously loyal to the Equestrians, but his God was sitting right next to him.

"Please, do not hurt them, my lord" Aldurmaax said.

N'por's eyes darted back and forth over the firing stud and the city, still indecisive. The Equestrians posed no threat to him, but they dared show disgust at the might of his ship. On the other hand, the Div were very close allies to them, and hurting the Equestrians might drive away the Div.

N'por curled his fist and set it down on the armrest, putting the cover back over the stud. "We will not destroy them. But should they fight at humanity's side in the coming battles, I will kill them without hesitation" the Shipmaster declared.

"Of course, my lord."

* * *

**Author's note: This story, Sins Never Die, will be on hiatus between the dates 21 December, 2013, and 6 January, 2014, in celebration of the holiday season and new year. Updates will return after January 6, 2014.**

**Legal disclaimer: N'por 'Tumai, Aldurmaax, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios. All other characters and intellectual properties are copyright to their parent companies and respective affiliates.**


	17. Two Seventeen: New Model War

**Two. Seventeen**  
**New Model War**

* * *

"I guess it was inevitable that they'd find us again" Princess Celestia said to her sister as they stood in the deep underhalls of Canterlot Tower, the halls not allowed to be seen by anypony or anyone else other than the Princesses. "I just hoped it would've been a lot longer than it has been."

"We couldn't stop it. No one could. But we can end it; we just need help" Princess Luna replied, idly staring at the mural on her side of the hall. The mural of all Equestria's dark times throughout the ages. Starting long before Discord's rule, on to the campaign of De'mah 'Tokam, and from Nightmare Moon to the present, where the transpiring events were being painted by memories cast from the Princesses' minds.

"De'mah... What was he like, Celestia?" Princess Twilight asked, tracing a hoof over the simple painting of the legendary Sangheili. He had blood-red armor with orange lights in the usual places, and his shoulder pauldrons and helmet were heavily spiked. His knee and thigh covers ended in a tapered point, and sharp points on the end of his gauntlets curled into the spaces between his fingers. In his part of the mural he was standing in the rain, staring at the stones between his feet and energy sword in his right hand.

"Different...from what I've seen of N'por. De'mah was courageous, but very young and inexperienced. Naive and immature, almost... He fought us and lead the dragons valiantly, though" Celestia answered.

Proceeding down the dark hall the three Princesses soon reached the end, which contained a door sealed shut. Celestia stopped at the door and stared at it, lost in deep thought. Her world was troubled, in the throes of a violent war between two mighty alien races, and here she was showing those closest to her her dark secrets.

"There's...something else. De'mah was Sangheili, yes, but he was a strong warrior. I had no choice but to kill him to end the war between us and the dragons. But I kept the details of his death hidden from the dragons all this time. They believe he was a martyr, that he fell in fair combat against me... It did not happen this way" Celestia explained, trailing off.

Luna and Twilight looked at each other, confused. "What does this have to do with humanity and the war?" Twilight inquired.

Celestia shook her head. "Nothing... I just wished I had done things differently in the past. Maybe then we wouldn't have this war" the Princess of the sun replied. The door started to glow, a blood-red light emanating in the shape of an energy sword's blade. It bathed the Princesses in its light, reflecting strongest off Celestia's pure white coat.

"Is something wrong, my sister?" Luna said, cocking her head to the side. Celestia looked at the floor out of her corner of her eye, unable to look the others in the face.

"We are doomed. My sins will never die. And indeed they have caused the death of all on this earth... Huh... I guess De'mah was right; he _would_ have his revenge, even if it was only done in his name."

* * *

_"Mai fea taiyō wa, watashitachi ni anata no atataka-sa to hikari o motarasu. Soshite kondo no tatakai o mimamoru"_ Captain Adam Kuyaki whispered in Japanese, staring at the digital representation of Sol; earth's sun.

He was alone on the _Kabato_'s bridge, though with Excalibur present he was technically never alone. The Covenant battlecruiser was on its way to find and destroy them, but it would encounter a healthy surprise.

"Is everyone in position? I want to make sure we're ready to duke it out with the Covenant cruiser" Adam said, turning his head to look at Excal's plinth. The AI appeared, nodding. "Good. I imagine that they'll be here soon."

Flicking a pen in the air Kuyaki waited as the bridge crew arrived, taking their places at their stations and readying the _Kabato_ for battle. MACs were armed, the Archers primed, and the cannons loaded. Griffon airships took place near the _Kabato_, armed only with antiquated 40mm cannons for use against Covenant Seraphs. The airships could not bear the weight of anything more without significant redesign, though Adam was informed of all Griffon military projects, and knew they were working on improved aircraft.

With everyone in their place all they could do now was arguably the hardest part; wait.

Before too long the Covenant battlecruiser appeared, popping into place after making an in-atmosphere Slipspace jump, the wake of its arrival sending waves through the air.

"Excalibur, get a firing solution for the MACs on that cruiser and make sure our 'presents' are armed. Evade any and all attacks the Covies send our way" Adam declared, flipping the radio on. "Admiral Strongclaw, get your ships into position to keep the Covenant fighters away from us. They're tear-drop shaped."

_"On this day, the only tears you will see will be in the eyes of our enemies. Admiral Strongclaw out."_

As expected Covenant dragons soon arrived, flocking toward the UNSC _Kabato_. Many dragons had defected from the Covenant and their pony allies to join the UNSC, due to their ancient beliefs. Adam had them being pressed for any prudent information, so they would would not be joining the war against the Covenant for a little while.

The battlecruiser moved, turning directly to face the _Kabato_. The lateral lines on her hull began to charge as the fore plasma projector armed, preparing to fire on the human ship. Excalibur was prepared to take evasive maneuvers when a Griffon airship glided into position in front of the destroyer just as the plasma projector discharged, the energy blasting the helium-filled aircraft apart.

"What the hell?!" Adam said, gripping his chair and leaning forward. He had not expected the Griffons to sacrifice themselves.

_"We fight with honor, and go with glory. We'll keep you safe one way or another, Captain"_ Admiral Strongclaw declared over the radio.

"Sir, the Covenant battlecruiser is within acceptable range of the HAVOK tactical nuclear mines we planted. Would you like to detonate?" Excalibur piped up. Adam looked at the display and saw that the Covenant were several thousand feet from the nukes.

"No, wait until that ship is right on top of the HAVOKs" Adam replied.

Covenant Seraphs and dragons began to approach the _Kabato_ and the Griffon airships opened fire, performing well against the dragons but only downing a few Seraphs here and there. However, the Seraphs were distracted by the airships, leaving the _Kabato_ to only focus on the battlecruiser.

The _Kabato_ fired a Hyperion missile at the Covenant ship, forcing the enemy to move. The battlecruiser closed the distance to the HAVOKs and lasered the Hyperion mid-air, destroying it completely.

"Let 'em have it, Excal!" Adam yelled. The viewports darkened as the HAVOKs detonated, creating two bright miniature suns in the sky. A lance of Archer missiles launched after the nukes detonated, impacting on the hull of the ship and leaving scorch marks.

The shields were down.

"Fire the MACs!"

The guns discharged, sending two massive slugs downrange at the cruiser. The first slammed into the ship, barreling through before exiting completely. The second one, however, ricocheted off the smooth top of the battlecruiser, gouging out part of the hull but not penetrating. The slug spun into the sky before falling to earth.

Crippled, the Covenant cruiser turned on the _Kabato_, firing the plasma projector. The laser hit the destroyer and began to smoothly carve into the titanium-A hull, easily punching through it.

"Hey! HEY! GET US THE FUCK OUT OF THE PATH OF THAT LASER!"

The _Kabato_ jumped to the side as the emergency boosters fired; the enemy plasma projector ceased firing and the ship began to turn. Archers were fired from the ship and rained into the battlecruiser, leaving pockmarks and scorch marks.

"MACs reloaded" Excalibur announced.

"FIRE!"

The guns _BANGED_, sending another two rounds to the ship in fractions of seconds. The first round shaved off part of the the bulbous midship, and the second bored headfirst into the prow of the vessel.

"HAHA! Take that you split-chin freaks!" Kuyaki declared, gripping his armrests.

"Now, let's fire another HAVOK at that bastard and break them-"

Adam was cut off as the enemy ship fired, a needle-thin spear of white-hot energy hitting the _Kabato_like a MAC round, blasting through her like she wasn't even there, let alone fitted with titanium armor plating and filled with multiple decks. The beam began to cut through the destroyer as the Covenant ship turned.

"EMERGENCY BOOSTERS!" Adam commanded, the _Kabato_ jumped back in the opposite direction. While the destroyer sailed to the left Excal launched another HAVOK mine, which soared to the front of the alien ship and detonated.

When the second sun died out Adam saw that the battlecruiser's prow had been cleanly cut into. Like a perfect sphere of plasma had pressed into its end. The plasma laser had apparently been damaged, as it stopped firing when the nuke detonated.

"MACs at 75% load."

With the MACs still reloading, and the Covenant ship's main weapons damaged the two vessels could only stare at each other, waiting to attack again.

"Sir, the Griffon airships are all nearly gone. Admiral Strongclaw is still operational in his flagship" Excalibur piped up.

Without Griffon support the _Kabato_ would be harassed by Seraphs and dragons within minutes, and the _Kabato_ wouldn't be able to continue its attack before the battlecruiser opened fire.

"Tell Strongclaw to pull back with us" the Captain responded.

"Sir, his airships will not be able to keep up with us without leading the Covenant to our destination" the AI stated.

"Then tell him to keep the enemy off us before bugging out and abandoning ship. They won't survive if they stay in the air."

"Understood."

_I may have to pull out a few wildcards to fight this war_ Adam thought, thinking of ideas. He had one Hyperion left, two HAVOKs, and plenty of MAC rounds and Archers to go around. But he needed something more powerful.

_I need the Equestrians._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I apologize for the late update; I wasn't feeling the writing vibe. But this story IS going to continue.**

**Legal disclaimer: Adam Kuyaki, Admiral Strongclaw, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios.**


	18. Two Eighteen: The Equestrian Schism

**Two. Eighteen  
The Equestrian Schism**

* * *

_"This is it, huh? This is where I am to finally do battle with you face to face? One on one? Tell me, Princess; do you think you are winning, or us? My Div are a million strong, and they will rain fire upon your villages. Even your Canterlot was built by my dragons. But you and your sister are strong leaders, as well as warriors. And your Equestrians are innately powerful, but are afraid of power and violence. Your race is a contradiction to itself, a paradox truly worthy of destroying the universe."_

_"Enough, De'mah 'Tokam. I no longer have the energy or desire to fight you. This war has gone on far too long, and your dragons are murdering us by the thousands. I surrender... Take me away."_

_"Hmm... Seems you are wiser than I thought. Do follow me."_

_*BANG*_

* * *

Princess Celestia's eyes quickly fluttered open, awoken from her slumber. She looked around in her dark room, the moonlight softly streaming in through the glass doors to her balcony. The moon itself visible through the door, meaning it would be time for morning soon. She decided to stay awake for the time, since her clock said that it would be morning within an hour.

Lying in her bed Celestia stared at the ceiling, mulling over her dream. The dreams about De'mah had long since stopped but the arrival of N'por brought them back in full. His ship was stronger, bigger, and more powerful than De'mah's. De'mah's ship didn't have shields, for one.

_This is a very dire predicament we are all in. N'por is violently destroying our world, and the humans are certainly not doing it any favors. On the other hoof... They ARE fighting N'por, and doing a fair job of doing so with the help of the Griffins. The Minotaurs and Spiders are sitting idle. The Changelings are hiding, and the Dragons are torn over who to fight for. The Crystal Ponies are backing us, obviously, but even we are doing nothing. But the humans and Griffins are standing up against N'por's onslaught... But what they did to us was extreme_ Celestia thought, unable to shake her thoughts.

As the moon began to come to a stop on the horizon and the sun rose to a stop on the other side, creating the purple sky twilight and signalling the changing of the bodies, Celestia began to walk to the door leading to the hall when something struck her.

_What was that Saddle Arabian proverb? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?_

It was time to talk to the humans

* * *

The three Princesses of Equestria stood behind the curtains of the address stage in Canterlot, a massive crowd of ponies outside. Celestia was delivering a statement to the kingdom that was deemed of utmost importance to her people, and thousands upon thousands had come to listen. Those who couldn't had to rely on their radios.

Many would be angry that they tuned in by the end of the day.

"What is this about, sister?" Princess Luna asked, sitting idly next to Celestia, who had not informed Luna or Twilight of this public conference. They were as in the dark as the rest of Equestria.

"You'll see. They'll all see... It's time" Celestia stated, stepping through the curtain. The fanfare was sounded, but the crowd did not cheer. They were nervous, uncertain, and expectant of her to say what they wanted to hear. That they would be backing the Dragons, siding with N'por, and taking revenge against the humans.

"We will not be siding with the Dragon Empire, or N'por 'Tumai" Celestia started, the crowd immediately launching into murmurs, a select few loudly yelling. The Princess of the day stopped for a moment to steel herself, and find the words she needed.

Looking up she stared stoically over the crowd and to the horizon of Equestria, and said "we will instead be supplying and supporting the United Nations Space Command and humanity in their war against N'por 'Tumai."

The crowd before the stage erupted into anger and outrage, screaming and yelling at the Princesses. The ponies listening in on the radio had two things to be pissed about, however; Celestia's decision, and the roar over the speakers that hurt their ears.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle had tossed and turned and fluffed her pillow, even read some sleeping 101 books, but was not able to sleep at all this night. So she did what she always did when she couldn't sleep.

Read.

Even that wasn't really helping her, as she could not get her mind off Celestia's decisions. She had not screamed in anger like the crowd did, for she found she could not make a sound at all. She was floored, absolutely floored, at the Princess's announcements.

The media reaction had been equally vocal, with dozens of radio stations, newspapers, and gossip mags broadcasting their disapproval. Twilight herself had expressed immense concerns, but did so privately. It wouldn't do Equestria any good to see two of the Princesses publicly at conflict.

Twilight had tried to see Celestia's reasoning, her logic. She even had the fellow Princess explain very carefully the motivations behind her decision and let Twilight compute these reasonings in a computer. Logically, it was 100% sound; Equestria could not sit idle with two alien empires at war on her soil and in her skies. N'por had already expressed desire to destroy Equestria, and would eventually do so regardless of humanity's status. The dragons were split, many breaking off to join humanity after they bested them in fair combat. But many other dragons stuck with the Equestrians, claiming it was not fair combat that humanity bested them in, but cowardly tactics.

Twilight was no expert on dragon belief or psychology, and she didn't know what to think. The logical side of her was saying that the dragons who didn't join humanity were simply stubborn and too set in their original ways, that an opponent must defeat a dragon from the ground for it to be fair combat. She also found this hypocritical and asinine, as all dragons who could fly did so to gain an edge in a fight.

On the other hoof, she couldn't excuse the dragons who left for humanity. She thought them cowards and traitors, and wanted to see them tried as such. Again, the logical side of her found fault with this, knowing that indeed dragon code says that any who best them in war be joined, and that the Dragon Empire was not under jurisdiction of Equestria, and that should they leave to serve another army it would not be considered treason under Equestrian law. She was conflicted and confused, like almost all of Equestria, and-

Fire. There was fire. Twilight smelled smoke.

In a panic, she looked up and her head darted back and forth, looking for the blaze. Glow in her window showed her the fire was outside, and she opened it to see the streets of Ponyville lit up in flames, but scattered about. And only a few houses were burning. It seemed the fires were concentrated in the streets and-

-were moving.

Racing downstairs and out her door Princess Twilight saw it all; crowds of ponies carrying torches and tossing rocks. Ponyville Police was doing their best to hold them off, but were being overrun. A few were carrying signs, which said it all; they were angry at Princess Celestia for 'defecting' to humanity, and were rioting.

A few of the crowds realized or remembered that Twilight lived in town, and were already starting to make their way down the road to the library. She could try to calm them down but she knew it would be futile in the end.

Equestria was about to be embroiled in the first civil war it had seen in over a millenium.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Legal disclaimer: N'por 'Tumai, De'mah 'Tokam, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios.**


	19. Two Nineteen: The Enemy of my Enemy

**Two. Nineteen**  
**Enemy of my Enemy**

* * *

Captain Adam Kuyaki couldn't breathe. He wasn't being strangled, he wasn't choking on food, he hadn't accidentally breathed in some water, he wasn't in a vacuum, he just could not breathe.

And Princess Celestia was not amused as to why he couldn't breathe.

"We are sure you find us very humorous, but this is a very serious matter!" Princess Luna exclaimed, stamping her hoof. Adam sharply inhaled, and his laughing began to slowly cease. The Princesses impatiently waited for him to calm down, and he flexed his jaw muscles, which were quite sore.

"Hmmp... I probably lost some brain cells after not being able to breathe that long. That was some funny shit. So, so, you want OUR help?! Bahahahaa~! Oh, I'm sorry but that's too fucking rich" Adam declared.

"ENOUGH! Give us your answer, NOW!" Twilight yelled, slamming her hoof down on the table. Within a few seconds the Captain stopped laughing, composed himself, and bent forward, propping himself up on the table with his hands.

"Hgmm... On behalf of the UNSC, the United Earth Government, and the human race. I deliver to the Princesses of Equestria my official statement on their request for military support against N'por 'Tumai and the Covenant Empire. *Ahem*... Go FUCK yourself, you insolent cunts!" Adam growled.

"How very typical of your race!" Twilight exclaimed.

"You will recall, PRINCESS, that I asked for your help against the Covenant LONG ago, and you declined. Now you want the same thing from me, because NOW it suits your purposes. Because NOW there's something in it for you. Your race is so egregiously self-centered it is seriously not even funny" Adam said.

"We are dying! Our world is being ripped apart, and our allies and own ponies at home have split! A civil war has started, and the separatists are seeking the aid of the Covenant and Aldurmaax's dragons!" Twilight protested.

"_Meinu!_ We will NOT help you! Fight your own war, or join the Covenant. I care not!"

"Japaneighse... _Futari wa sono gēmu de purei suru koto ga dekimasu_" Twilight commented with a smirk. Adam blinked and pulled back, cocking his head to the side as he looked at Twilight.

"Hmm... I always liked you Sparkle. You were my favorite when I first came here. I THOUGHT you were rational, smart... You're all either incredibly bold or stupid as hell to come ask ME for help. And after learning what I've learned about your race I'm not sure which of the two is more true, or more scary. The answer is still 'no'. Now, I will escort you off my ship. I have a war to fight" Adam stated, stepping back from the table and heading for the door.

"Please..." Princess Celestia meekly said, the first thing she had said the entire time they were there. The Captain stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. Turning around to look at her Adam saw she was tired. Tired, concerned for her people and planet. "We can't stand against N'por, the Covenant, on our own. And we can help you. Anything we can offer to help, we'll give it. Just... Don't make us face them, and DON'T make us join them."

Sighing, Adam walked back to the table and crossed his arms over his chest. "There's nothing you can offer to us that we don't already have or can't already make. All you can offer us are bodies; soldiers, lots and lots of them. All of them that you can."

"I saw what you feed your soldiers with, and we can offer better food than that" Twilight commented.

"All our food is engineered, packaged, and served with the perfect balance of nutrients, antibiotics, , energy, and taste for our Marines. What could you possibly serve that's better?" Adam posed.

"That was the key word in your sentence; 'engineered'. All our food is natural, grown on farms, and is the most delicious stuff you'll ever eat. And since you're fans of meat, we can have the juiciest of natural meats imported from the Minotaurs. Your Marines will never love anything more than our food. And they're plenty healthy, too" Twilight explained.

"Hmph... We'll get some samples and we'll bring them back to the _Kabato_. Oh, and do try to not fucking poison them or something" Captain Kuyaki stated, motioning for the Princesses to follow him back to the hangar.

"We're not savages, Captain. Unlike you, meat-eater..." Princess Sparkle declared.

"Twilight..." Celestia said, trying to keep her from pissing off the Captain and ruining their chances at an alliance.

"Hah! I bet you've never tasted meat in your life. You'll never find anything more fucking delicious in the galaxy. We had a colony world, Harvest. They grew a lot of fruit and vegetables there, but my favorite were the Moa they bred there, brought in from another world of ours. Something those farmers did, whether it was skill or something else, made Moa meat so Goddamn scrumptious and juicy. That stuff bled like the Moa was still cooing. And their fish? Sweet and salty" Adam explained.

"Freaking carnivores..." Twilight lamented.

* * *

The Pelican sailed through the sky, the aircraft loaded up with several crates of natural bananas, apples, pears, oranges, and meats. Captain Kuyaki sat in the back with the three Princesses, idly enjoying the ride.

"For the record, Princesses; I was planning on approaching you with an alliance offer soon. Truth is, we need your help as much as you need ours. I can not win this war alone. Not all the guns, bullets, missiles, vehicles, and food I could make would win us this war. We need soldiers to do it. I need your guard. Police officers. Whatever kind of soldiers you can offer me; I need them all. And I need them where I say I need them" Adam explained.

"You want complete jurisdiction over my guard. A guard which is already unnerved and uncertain of my rule over this country. They will not accept or heed whatever orders you give them" Celestia said.

"Then I will give the orders to you, and you will relay them to the appropriate divisions. Damn it, my combat experience will be the key to winning this war. Shit will go bad, very soon if we don't destroy the Covenant and their dragon friends" Adam replied.

"And our civil war? What about that?" Twilight asked.

"I'll help the only way I can; by blasting the hell out of any who stand in my way."

"No! There will be NO blasting of any of MY subjects! You can kill N'por, his soldiers, his dragons, and any others who help him. But you will NOT be killing any of my little ponies" Celestia stated matter-of-factly.

"Goddamnit woman do you want your _species_ to survive this war?! You will not survive a war on two fronts, and certainly not when the second front is being waged in your backyard, frontyard, and your own fucking kitchen! You. Are. SCREWED. Those separatists are being armed with plasma rifles, plasma pistols, needlers, plasma grenades, spears, fuel rod guns, fuel rods, and power cores. The majority of your race has been pushed past the breaking point and they will blast, blow up, stab, and_kamikaze_ in the name of their alien leaders. You have no choice but to fight back, and my men will not hesitate" Adam declared.

Princess Celestia sighed and rubbed her head with her hoof, trying to alleviate the headache coming on. She was already nauseous beyond all reason from the flight, and she didn't need anything more than that. "I don't like it... I don't like what is happening to my planet. If I didn't have personal qualms about it I would have you thrown off in a second."

"Personal qualms about what? Being 'impolite'?!" Adam inquired.

"Personal qualms about N'por. About the Covenant."

"What's your beef? They never did anything to you" the Captain remarked, leaning back in his seat.

"That's where you're wrong... Oh so very wrong..."

* * *

Captain Kuyaki walked into the conference room where the three Princess of Equestria were waiting. Adam relieved the MP outside the door and slowly sat down at the head of the table, idly looking at the faux wood. The Princesses patiently waited for him to speak.

"You were right; the Marines loved the food. They want more; a steady supply of it. The few crates we got ran out within two hours. They'll probably find ways to supplement their rations with your food, and I imagine that Equestrian meat, fruits and chocolate will become very sought-after when Marines are trading supplies and valuables. We got your food coming in, and I'll keep the bullets going out into the hearts of Covenant, dragons, and separatist ponies. We got the alliance we all sought" Adam explained.

"Very good" Celestia replied, standing and heading to the door with her cohorts. Adam watched them go for a moment before heading to follow, catching up within moments.

"We will find our own way back to the hangar, thank you. I think I got the route memorized by now" Twilight said brazenly as the Captain followed them, his words slowing him to a stop.

"Hmm... Call me when you get lost, OK?"

* * *

_"Captain Kuyaki? It's Twilight. Where's the hangar, again...?"_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Legal disclaimer: N'por 'Tumai, Adam Kuyaki, and all related characters belong to me. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and all related characters are copyright to Hasbro. My Little Pony is copyright to Hasbro. Halo is copyright to Microsoft Studios.**


End file.
